Pyroclasm
by Fulcon
Summary: Fire. It cleans and purifies the soul, and Mom didn't raise a dirty boy. Self Insert.(On Hiatus)
1. Chapter 1: Embers

_The following is a fanbased work of fiction. Young Justice is property of DC Comics, Warner Brothers and Greg Weissman – please support the official release._

* * *

"We're here," Batman announced as he pulled his famous Batmobile to a stop.

The destination was a small, suburban home just outside of Blüdhaven, 9023 Ricter St. It was a two-story house with a two-car garage that had a green van sitting on the driveway. The house was painted a light tan with hedges on the side of the walk up to the front door needing a slight trim.

"Oh. It's…quaint," Green Arrow, the passenger, said, finishing the Styrofoam cup of coffee in his hands. "So get in, make ourselves personable, make the offer to the parents then to the kid. Anything else I should know?"

"Just a reminder that this visit is not about the incident," Batman replied neutrally. "It was ruled justified in court and we need to make it clear that we respect that."

"Right, we aren't here because he blew a member of Arkham's revolving door club to smithereens," Green Arrow dryly quipped. "We're here to offer him a spot in the junior club."

"I believe he could be of use to the team," Batman replied. "He has the powers and the inclination to use them. With proper training, we could avoid repeats of the incident in the future."

"No arguments there," Green Arrow nodded. "Anything else?"

"No," Batman shook his head and the two men excited the car.

On the other side of the street, a little boy ran inside his house. "Mom! Mom! Look, it's the Batmobile! And it's got Ba-"

That was all they heard before his rapidly quieting voice was suddenly cut off by the home's doorbell as Green Arrow pressed the button.

After a few moments, the door opened, revealing a middle-aged mother with dark brown hair and crow's feet around her eyes; eyes that suddenly widened when she saw who had arrived at her door. "Oh. Oh! Hello…"

"Mrs. Winter?" Green Arrow opened with an extended hand and a friendly smile.

"Yes, hi," She replied, taking the hand and gingerly shaking it.

"I'm Green Arrow, this is Batman," Green Arrow said with a gesture to him and the other Superhero, introducing themselves as a matter of politeness. "We were wondering if we could talk to you and your husband?"

"Who is it, honey?" Behind Mrs. Winter came who was presumably Mr. Winter. He was a balding, middle aged man with prematurely greying hair. Mr. Winter's eyes narrowed sharply. "Oh. Are you two the real deal?"

"Yes we are," Green Arrow replied confidently.

Mr. Winter sniffed. "Prove it."

Batman let lose a batarang past both of their heads and it promptly came back to his waiting hand without so much as touching a thing in the house. "Does that satisfy you?"

"Yeah I guess so," Mr. Winter nodded. "Come on in. You're here to talk about Michael, right?"

"That's right," Green Arrow replied. "If you don't mind."

They were ushered into the front room with a couch against the wall, a coffee table in front of it and two chairs to the sides. On the wall was a large family photo of the two parents and a young boy with carefully groomed set of dark brown hair and sharp looking hazel eyes. Batman noted that the smile was a very high quality fake, seeming to reach his eyes but didn't the way a genuine smile did.

"I don't see what there is to talk about," Mr. Winter replied, taking a seat beside his wife and gesturing for the other two to do the same. "It was ruled justified."

"We had an offer that we wanted to make you," Green Arrow replied. "About your son."

"By the way, can I get you two anything?" Mrs. Winter asked with a glance at the two. "Water, Milk, Juice?"

"I just had some coffee," Green Arrow replied. "But thank you."

"I would like some water," Batman responded in light of that, sounding just as carefully neutral as always. "Please."

"Oh, sure," Mrs. Winter said, nodding and standing up.

The conversation fell silent as she disappeared into the kitchen. The sound a cupboard opening, a glass being withdrawn and then filled with water. Then she stopped and called out. "Would you like ice?"

Batman shook his head.

"He says no," Green Arrow called back. Then he pointed to Batman with his thumb. "He doesn't really get loud."

"I can hear that," Mr. Winter replied with weary eyes.

She returned with the glass and handed it to Batman, who thanked her as she sat down.

"So, an offer," Mr. Winter continued.

"What kind of offer?" Mrs. Winter asked.

"The sidekicks, Kid Flash, Robin and Aqualad have gotten together in kind of a…study club," Green Arrow began. "We thought that your son might like to spend time with kids like him."

"Oh," Mrs. Winter said. "You mean, like a superhero study club."

"It's a group formed for the purpose of letting our junior members train, socialize and learn together," Batman explained formally. "We believe that with some proper training, your son could avoid incidents, such as the one that has brought us here today, in the future."

"Would he be obligated to join the Justice League?" Mrs. Winter asked with a frown.

"No, no," Green Arrow shook his head. "He can leave at any time if he wants. This is just to give him a handle on his powers if he needs it and give him more options so if that incident down the street happens again you're not tied up in messy court hearings."

"Would he be doing anything dangerous?" Mr. Winter asked with a frown of his own.

"The group sometimes undertakes missions," Batman answered. "Light recon, low risk, covert missions specifically chosen to prevent the groups activities from becoming known to any Supervillains. The risks are carefully evaluated before the group is sent on them and he would be on a team with several highly experienced members. Your son would be more than safe."

"I see," Mrs. Winter replied, pursing her lips and resting her hands in her lap. "Are you making us this offer because you see our son as a potential danger? Be honest with us."

Batman and Green Arrow looked at each other, then shook their heads.

"No," Green Arrow replied. "What he did was justified by the courts and he _is_ in complete control of his powers."

"Wouldn't the fact that he's been in the news recently be a problem with the groups anonymity?" Mr. Winter asked, his eyes still narrowing. "The fact that he's a metahuman is plastered all over the internet."

"Not if he adopts a costumed identity and is never really seen changing," Green Arrow replied with a shrug. "Fire metas are fairly common as far as metas go, so it's not like he's the only possible candidate and the group's activities are covert anyhow. Does that answer your question?"

"It does," Mrs. Winter nodded.

Mr. Winter didn't say anything.

"Honey, I think this might be a good thing for him," Mrs. Winter said, starting to smile for the first time since the two arrived.

Mr. Winter again, didn't answer immediately. A few moments later, right as Green Arrow was about to say something and break the ice, he said, "Could you gentlemen please excuse us for just a moment?"

"Sure, that's fine," Green Arrow explained with a nod.

"Take all the time you need," Batman offered.

The two parents left the room and began speaking just out of earshot. Green Arrow scratched the side of his head. Batman took a sip of his water. Arrow gestured to the corner that they disappeared around and Batman gave a shrug in response.

Eventually, the two came back. "Alright. We accept. He should be in his room doing who knows what, just on one condition."

"What's that condition?" Green Arrow asked, leaning forward and clasping his hands together.

"He's allowed to tell us if he has to do anything dangerous," Mr. Winter explained.

"Certain parts may have to be kept confidential," Batman replied. "But I don't see anything wrong with him giving you a generalized account. Would that be sufficient?"

"Yeah, that'd be fine," Mr. Winter nodded. "We don't need to know everything just…a general picture would be nice."

"Okay good," Green Arrow nodded happily. "So where is your son now?"

"I think he's upstairs," Mrs. Winter replied. "Do you want me to go get him?"

"No, no," Green arrow shook his head. "It can wait for a minute. Why don't you tell us about him first?"

"Well," Mrs. Winter took in a breath. "He's very mature for his age."

"Always did things when we asked him too," Mr. Winter replied. "Always. Sometimes he did things without us asking first. Great work ethic. Never made any friends though."

"Lot's of trouble making friends," Mrs. Winter agreed, nodding his head. "Not because the other kids didn't try, but because, well…he looked at them as inferior. Like they were dumb. I mean, he never said anything to them but he just…"

"Just thought they were in the way," Mr. Winter finished. "I can't count how many times he asked to skip a grade."

"He that good at school?" Green Arrow asked.

"Heavens, yes!" Mrs. Winter said with astonishment. "He threw himself at anything, trying to learn everything. The first year they started teaching computer science he checked out every book he could find in the school library on programming. Said he was trying to make an AI."

"Did he ever succeed?" Batman asked curiously.

"I don't think so," Mr. Winter answered with a shrug. "He likes to brag about his accomplishments and we never heard anything about it afterwards."

Batman leaned back slightly with a small frown on his face.

"Do you know when he became a metahuman?" Green Arrow asked.

"No," Mr. Winter shook his head. "I didn't even know about it until after he blew up that maniac."

That matched the case file that Batman had read. "Did he ever tell you how it happened."

"No," Mr. Winter said again. "When I asked him, he just said 'magic' and I left it at that. If he doesn't want to tell me, that's fine."

"Are you sure it's not actually magic?" Green Arrow asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Look, I know that Zatara guy on the League claim's he's got magic," Mr. Winter replied, leaning forward. "But honestly, I think he's just a reality warping meta with a neurological condition that prevents him from doing anything without speaking backwards."

"What neuro condition would that be?" Batman asked, keeping the amused smirk off his face, but just barely.

"I dunno," Mr. Winter shrugged. "Some kind of Tourette's syndrome, I guess."

Green Arrow barely stopped himself from laughing at the thought of Zatara having Tourette's. Instead, he simply asked. "Do you think he'd be okay with being with the sidekicks or no?"

"I don't know," Mrs. Winter replied, shrugging her shoulders. "He's kind of a mystery to me."

"Alright, I think we're ready to talk to him," Green Arrow said.

"You want me to go get him or did you want to try to talk to him in his room?" Mrs. Winter asked, standing up.

"We can try talking to him in his room," Green Arrow answered, also standing up, followed by Batman.

The stairs up were just around the corner, going up into a hallway. Mrs. Winter stopped at the second door on the left and knocked. "Michael? Son, are you there?"

"Yes, what can I do for you?" The door opened a crack.

"You've got some people that'd like to talk to you," Mrs. Winter feigning cheerfulness to hide the caution.

"Figures. I saw the car out front," Was the reply. The door opened wider as Michael stepped out. Batman recognized the boy in the picture downstairs, only grown into a young teenager whose face looked like it hadn't curled into a genuine smile in years. "Can we move this to the front room, please?"

"Alright," Mr. Winter shrugged.

The procession moved back down to the front room, with Batman and Green Arrow taking their seats on the couch and the parents sitting in the chairs. Michael grabbed a chair from the kitchen table and set it off to the side, opposite of his parents. "So, are we here discuss how I blew Mr. Zsasz to cinders, or something else?"

"No, but that is why we're here," Batman responded. "The Junior League members have put together a small team and the League itself has decided that, in light of recent events, you might be of benefit to the group."

"You've already proven you've got the power and incentive the protect others," Green Arrow continued. "We think you've got a lot of potential as a Leaguer and even if you don't stay on, some training would help you avoid the uh…legal mess that you and your family just got done dealing with."

"So, the brat's got a team, huh?" Michael replied with a raised eyebrow, trying to fight the sarcastic sneer making its way across his face.

"Michael!" Mrs. Winter said, aghast.

"Well, I wouldn't necessarily call them brats," Green Arrow argued with an amused tone in his voice at the same time. "But essentially, yeah."

"How old's the team?" Michael asked immediately, leaning forward and holding his hands together between his knees. "Was it created before or after they went into Cadmus on the Fourth of July?"

"You frequent the Justice League forums?" Batman asked carefully.

"I do," Michael answered without blinking. "There was a giant thread, speculating that there was a team in the making. It's still arguing about it but judging from the upvotes and top comments, it was just a temporary thing the sidekicks went out and did while the adults were taking care of business elsewhere and everything would be back to normal before long. But since you're here, talking to me about a team, that either means that the majority of people are wrong or the upvotes were being manipulated."

"I don't think the site's all that vulnerable to botting," Green Arrow said, stroking his goatee with his gloved hand. "The team almost wasn't, so it's not unreasonable to assume it didn't happen."

"I seriously doubt the League would allow the creation of a secret team without suppressing information about its formation," Michael explained with a raised eyebrow. "Regardless, you came to me with an offer to get on a super team, and I accept, assuming my brat comment didn't burn the offer."

"Just like that?" Mr. Winter asked, sounding bewildered.

"Just like that," Michael nodded. "First extra-curricular activity that I'm actually interested in."

"Well, that's good," Mrs. Winter said, wearing a relieved smile. "I'm glad you've found something you'd like to do."

"It's a pleasant surprise," Michael replied, not returning the smile. "So, before I get escorted to whatever secret base you've got them secreted too, I imagine there's something you need to know? A form I have to fill out?"

"We'll take care of that ourselves," Batman replied. "There are just a few questions we need you to answer."

"Ask away," Michael invited.

"Are you a metahuman or a magic user?" Green Arrow asked. "And how did you get your powers?"

"Magic User," Michael replied, ignoring his father rolling his eyes. "Looked on the internet for rituals, alchemy, stuff. The grand majority of it's garbage but I found a few good ones. As for how I got my fire powers, I created a fire elemental without a spirit to animate it and bound it to my soul. My body has changed to accommodate playing host but nothing major. That's the long and short of it."

"Alright, I get you," Green Arrow nodded, satisfied. "You make anything else?"

"I was working on a project in my room," Michael explained with a shrug. "Nothing I feel like sharing, however."

"Do you plan on binding any more soulless elementals to you?" Batman asked.

"Not at this time," Michael explained. "I'm still making sure there's no negative effects."

"So, have you put any thought into being a Leaguer?" Green Arrow asked. "A code name, costume, that sort of thing?"

"Don't have a name or costume in mind, no," Michael shook his head. "I can come up with something."

"We can take care of your first costume if you need," Green Arrow offered. "But we do need a name."

"Alright, uh…" Michael started, looking up in thought. "How about Firestorm?"

"That's pretty good," Green Arrow nodded in appreciation. "But it's taken."

"Captain Falcon?" Michael offered with a small smirk.

"Uh…word of advice, I wouldn't take an animal name unless your power or image has got something to do with animals," Green Arrow offered, leaning into his chair like an old man giving sage advice to an eager youngster. "Otherwise, it just makes it look like you didn't put any effort into putting your identity together."

"Eh, the suggestion was tongue in cheek anyway," Michael replied with a shrug.

"Inside joke?" Green Arrow asked with a small smile.

"Something like that, yeah," Michael muttered to himself before assuming a thinking pose. "Of course, that blows my more serious 'Firebat' suggestion out of the water. Unfortunate."

"That name wasn't available anyway," Batman explained passively.

"Why no-oh, right. Don't want people making assumptions," Michael shrugged. "Makes sense. On that line of thinking puts the kibosh on Supernova too. A shame, he's my favorite Leaguer. No offense."

"None taken," Green Arrow waved it off with his fingers. "He's a good guy."

"El Diablo?" Michael asked, starting to grin again. "Pasty, white-faced nerd by day, Spicy Latino Lover by night? I can even do an accent."

"No," Mr. Winter shook his head. "No, no, no. This is serious, son."

"The Human Torch," Michael suggested, his grin instantly fading without a trace.

Green Arrow waffled his hand. "Eh, I think you could do better."

"Inferno?" Michael offered with a raised eyebrow. "Eh, never mind. I'm not Italian. Er…wait, am I Italian?"

"German," Mr. Winter answered. "Our family is German."

"Oh. Well, I don't feel like using Feuer or Hölle either," Michael continued to muse. "Conflagerator just sounds wierd. Pyro? Eh, too short. Well, it sounds like it's short for something. _Pyroclasm_. Pyroclasm? That's not taken, is it?"

Green Arrow looked at Batman and both shook their heads. "Pyroclasm is fine. Good name."

"Alright," Michael clapped his hands together. "Pyroclasm. When do I put on the mask?"

"We'll come by again in a few days," Batman replied. "We'll bring with you your costume as well as pick you up for orientation into the Team. You'll receive instructions on how to transit to the team's training facility which you will be expected to report to daily."

"Alright, makes sense," Michael nodded.

Green Arrow nodded. "It's been good meeting you all. Michael, I look forward to having you on the team. Now, we've got a meeting with the League we need to get too so we will see you all later."

"It's been nice having you," Mrs. Winter said, standing up.

"Drive safe," Mr. Winter said, following suit and shaking his guest's hands. "Michael, if you'll get the door?"

"You got it," Michael said, moving to the front door and opening it.

"Thank you," Batman replied.

The two heroes left and saw that a group of neighborhood children had gathered around the bat mobile to gape in awe. Batman unlocked the doors, causing the car to beep and the kids to instantly scatter. Batman got into the driver seat, Green Arrow the passenger.

"So, did you want to take care of the costume or shall I?" Green Arrow asked.

"Are you volunteering?" Batman asked neutrally.

Green Arrow took a second to think over the question while Batman started the engine. "Yeah, I think I am. Fireproof, armored plating, utility belt. What do you think, Balaclava, Domino mask?"

"Either can work," Batman replied. "I find it interesting that the smiles in the family pictures were all high-quality fakes."

"He doesn't seem to be a happy kid," Green Arrow replied. "Definitely book-smart, though. He knew that Inferno was Italian for Hell. Not many people I meet do."

"It's not something that's entered popular culture," Batman nodded.

"Yeah, it's become just another word for a giant blaze," Green Arrow shrugged. "Anyway, did you catch how his parents are afraid of him?"

"I did," Batman nodded. "Very smart, deliberately giving himself dangerous powers, I imagine his parents simply don't know how to deal with him. They did the right thing in keeping him at the appropriate grade level. We'll need to inform Dinah that he's accepted our offer."

"Which is a good thing," Green Arrow sighed. "Honestly I was afraid of what would happen if he refused. Not to say that he'd be gunning for super villainy or anything, but we might've had to beat off 'recruiters' with a stick."

Batman didn't say anything, still thinking.

"You think he succeeded at creating that AI his dad was talking about?" Green Arrow asked with a raised eyebrow.

"That was my question as well," Batman answered. "I don't know. If he did, it might explain how he was able to comb through the nonsense that permeates the internet to find the real thing. If he didn't, he may have just gotten lucky but…I don't think it was luck."

"Would it turn into a problem if he did?" Green Arrow asked.

"It might," Batman responded.

"I wonder if the team's going to be happy with two new members," Green Arrow thought aloud.

"They'll adapt."

"At least Artemis isn't going to be the only new kid on the block," Green Arrow replied with a smile. "That might help everyone if they're still sore that Speedy's not on the team."

"He's going by Red Arrow now," Batman informed his passenger without taking his eyes off the road.

"Oh. Original," Green Arrow grinned. "…I already knew that Bats."

Batman simply grunted in response.

Green Arrow fell quiet too. It didn't last. "You know, I should call Dinah."

* * *

 _Author's Note: Mused attacked me. I know I said I needed a break from the Self-Insert Genre but now that I've actually had a break, it's clear to me that I really just need a break from Naruto. So here we are. This thing. I'm mostly just writing whatever comes to mind and throwing it on the internet at this point. Still working on my DP fic, still working on my original fic, just…you know. I find myself oddly able to write thousands and thousands of words per week now. It's kind of exciting._

 _Apologies if Green Arrow was remarkably talkative. I tried to write him as the smooth one to balance out Batman's straight-laced guy. I know he's a joker, he's lighthearted and he's a nice guy and stuff, but I wonder if I turned it up just a bit too far._

 _Anything else? Uh…I looked up the term Pyroclasm as a superhero name and came up short. I know Pyro is a class in Team Fortress 2 (and a mutant in Marvel) but the full thing? Pyroclasm? That wasn't a thing. So, either I've come across one of the few superhero names that hasn't been used yet, or my Google-Fu is nonexistent. Either way, I like the name so that's why I'm using it._

 _Also, I felt the need to use Fire as a power because it seems to have fallen out of favor in recent times. Mostly, it's because it's hard to see fire as a heroic power since all the heroes these days are all about the non-killing rule and when people think of fire, they think of using it on bad guys and when they think of using it on bad guys, they think of someone burning to death. So, I felt like taking on the challenge of writing a heroic (well…kind of?) person doing heroic deeds with the powers of Inferno behind him._

 _Plus, a little extra._

 _A big thanks to super patrons_ Melden V, Anders Kronquist, Ray Tony Song, makopaulo, Volkogluk, Aaron Bjornson, iolande, Martin Auguado, Julio, Jiopaba, Hackerham, Tim Collins-Squire, Maben00, Devil's Bite _and_ Sultan Saltlick. _Thank you, you guys are the best._

 _Until the next time!_

 _~Fulcon_


	2. Chapter 2: Roastings

_The following is a fanbased work of fiction. Young Justice is property of DC Comics, Warner Brothers and Greg Weissman – please support the official release._

* * *

Artemis was very nervous.

Clad in her green costume, she sat in the back of a white van parked in the alleyway where, apparently, a teleporter waited for her to use. She had never been teleported anywhere before and more importantly, she had never really been on a _team_ before.

Well, not one that was more concerned with saving lives than taking them.

This wouldn't be too hard. Just challenge, fight, and assert her place as a member. Just like with her family. Just with less death threats and murder. Right? Right.

Of course, it wouldn't be so bad if they weren't waiting for someone. They were a little early so it wasn't like he was being rude or anything, it didn't help Artemis's nerves at all being forced to just sit and do nothing.

"Nervous?" Green Arrow asked with a smile from his seat across from her.

The van was a rental, taken out by Arrow as an occasional measure to cover his tracks under an alias. It had no distinguishable markings whatsoever, which meant that people steered clear of it in general as that sort of thing was a trademark of the _other_ side of the Good vs. Evil war.

"No," Artemis claimed, taking a breath. "Okay, maybe a little."

"Don't sweat it," Green Arrow said with the shake of his head. "They're good guys, all of them. You'll get along great."

"I just don't like the waiting," Artemis said, pulling the string on her bow lightly.

"Well, I don't think we'll be waiting long," Green Arrow replied with a grin. He looked toward the driver's seat passenger window, and saw a figure dressed up in dark colors heading toward them. "Scratch that, here he is now."

"Finally," Artemis breathed, standing up as Green Arrow opened the door.

The newcomer was fully clothed, clearly not one to sacrifice protection for mobility. His trench-coat was clearly heavily padded, the gauntlets too, with the pants flaring out slightly as they weren't form fitting. His boots had a series of buckles going up from the foot to the top that were done tightly and the entire costume was black with red trimmings and accents. On his arms were patches with the emblem of a stylized flame, like it was being approximated by a computer instead of drawn by someone who had seen a flame.

The most outstanding aspect of the costume was the mask, which covered his entire head, the face of which compact gas mask with dark-tinted visor which Artemis couldn't see through no matter how hard she tried. To complete the costume, it had a helmet on top of that which reminded Artemis of a fire-fighters helmet.

"Well, who might you be?" The boy behind the mask asked Artemis flirtatiously, his voice having that mechanical tone as if he were communicating through a speaker.

"Artemis, your new teammate," She answered confidently, hopping down from the van and placed her hands on her hips. "You?"

"The name's Pyroclasm," He replied easily, the grin under his mask audible in his voice. "But you can call me Pyro for short. Green Arrow, it's good to see you again."

"Same, same," Green Arrow said, extending his hand for a shake. "You like the costume?"

"I do," Pyro breathed in contentment. "The irony of theming my costume after a firefighter is very clever. I like it a lot."

"I thought it was," Green Arrow replied with a self-satisfied smirk. "Now, I don't suppose either of you have been teleported before?"

"Not that I remember," Pyro replied with a shrug.

"No," Artemis shook her head.

"Well, think of it like a roller coaster that only lasts for half a second," Green Arrow explained easily, walking over to the broken-down phone-booth in the middle of the alleyway. "Doesn't hurt in the slightest, but your stomach and your heart do a tango."

"Great," Artemis said with a frown.

"I assume you get used to it after a while?" Pyro asked nonchalantly.

"Ah, you can get used to anything," Green Arrow replied with a wave. "Batman will be along later, in case your both wondering where he was."

"Oh. Did they both recruit you too?" Pyro asked with interest.

"Yeah, a few days ago," Artemis answered. "I didn't think Batman would be the type to handle recruiting."

"He helps keep people focused and on task," Green Arrow replied with a raised eyebrow. "Okay, so we'll all step in. It'll be a bit crowded with three but after that, you'll know how to work them yourselves so no more crowding. Got it?"

Artemis and Pyro both nodded.

"Alright, step on in," Green Arrow said, opening the door and beckoning them inside like a chauffeur.

They stepped inside and when Green Arrow stepped in behind them, closing the door, it was indeed cramped. Artemis and Pyro were certainly a little smooshed in together, which wasn't _all_ that bad, but it was rather uncomfortable.

"Okay, so here's how it works," Green Arrow said, trying to sound completely unbothered. "You step into the League teleporter, state your designation and your destination. Teleporter takes care of the rest. I'm 08, Artemis you're B07 and Pyroclasm, you're B08. You both follow?"

"Understood," Pyro nodded.

"Yeah, can we hurry this up?" Artemis asked with a frown. "It's really, really cramped."

Green Arrow cleared his throat. "08, B07 and B08 to Mount Justice."

Immediately, all three of them were engulphed in a white light, being thrown at billions of miles an hour. Then they were all standing in a cave and allowed to step back.

"Recognized: Green Arrow: 08, Artemis B:07, Pyroclasm, B:08."

"Okay, well," Artemis began, shaking her head. "That was fun."

"I'll agree with that," Pyroclasm concurred, taking a deep breath and exhaling. "As long as we also agree that it's a good thing we're going to get used to it."

Artemis gave a small chuckle.

"Alright, Ms. Martian and Superboy should be in to give the two of you a tour," Green Arrow said, walking ahead of them. "Aqualad might be there too, but I think he likes to swim at this time of day."

"So, are we really in Mount Justice?" Artemis asked with a raised eyebrow. "The same hideout that everyone knows about?"

"That's right," Green Arrow nodded, leading the pair across the entrance hall and down a hall. "Hiding in plain sight. Besides, as far as the rest of the world is concerned, Mount Justice has been abandoned for years. Still is. Right, Pyro?"

"Eh, there's a few conspiracy theorists who insist that the Mount was taken over by villains in the time it's been abandoned and used as a safe-house," Pyro explained nonchalantly. "Given how they're obviously and hilariously wrong, no one pays them any mind."

"Wait, seriously?" Artemis asked with a scoffing laugh.

"Indeed," Pyro nodded.

They exited the hallway into a living room and kitchen area. On the couch was Superboy, sitting on the couch not doing anything and impressing Artemis just by breathing. Back in the kitchen, Ms. Martian stood, mixing batter with a wooden spoon, looking like a 50's housewife in her dress while doing so.

"Ms. Martian, Superboy," Green Arrow called out to them. "Meet your new teammates."

"Oh, awesome!" Ms. Martian smiled, placing the bowl of batter on the counter and floated forward with a smile on her face. "Hi, I'm M'Gann. Or Ms. Martian in the field. Nice to meet you."

Superboy slowly stood up and walked over. "I'm Superboy."

"Good to meet you both," Pyro said, extending his hand to shake.

"Yeah, totally," Artemis replied with a nod.

Superboy took it, then M'Gann with a smile.

"So, what are your names?" M'Gann asked politely, holding her hands in front of her.

"Artemis," She answered with a nod.

"Pyroclasm," He introduced himself in turn, making a pillar of fire in his hand to demonstrate.

M'Gann stiffened, her eyes going wide in fright as they stared into a pyre that had suddenly appeared in front of her with no business ever being there.

"Turn it off," Superboy barked, taking a half-step in between M'Gann and Pyro.

Pyro snapped his fingers and the small blaze disappeared with not even the slightest evidence that it had even been there; no smoke, no hot air, nothing. "Right. Martian. Sorry about that."

"It's okay," M'Gann replied with an uneasy laugh. "Just, um…don't do that again."

"I might have to on missions," Pyro replied without missing a beat, sounding like he was merely discussing the weather.

"No, I get that, it's fine," M'Gann explained quickly before clearing her throat. "Just uh…not in the Mountain? Please?"

Pyro's head tilted just slightly to the side. "Alright."

"Great," M'Gann said, sounding relieved.

"So, could you two give them a tour?" Green Arrow requested as if a small portal to the Martian Underworld didn't just get opened right on the palm of their new teammates hand. "Show them where everything is while I go talk to Red Tornado?"

M'Gann didn't answer immediately. "Sure. Yes, we can do that."

Superboy simply crossed his arms and shrugged.

Green Arrow turned to leave and M'Gann cleared her throat.

"So, this is the lounge and kitchen, as you can see," M'Gann began with a cheerful tone of voice. "I was in the middle of making cookies when you showed up."

"Oh, really?" Artemis asked with interest. "What kind?"

"Chocolate Chip," M'Gann replied with a smile. "Sometimes, I do sugar cookies too, but chocolate chip's the most popular."

"Nice," Artemis said with a smile and a nod.

"And down here," M'Gann started, settling into a routine calm, floating over to another entrance. "Is the…"

And that's how the tour went, with M'Gann introducing them to each section of the Mountain. The private quarters, the rules about how no one was allowed in someone else's room, they went back to the main hall where they explained that's where most of the team's training takes place with holographic displays allowing the room to function as the briefing room. Pyroclasm immediately started rubbing his hands together in anticipation at seeing the Mountain's Library, the gym and showers. When they got to the Hanger, Aqualad hopped inside from the Moonpool.

The tour group moved down the stairs to say hi and Aqualad looked up and gave a wave. "I am just in time to say hello to our new teammates. I'm Aqualad, the team leader."

"Artemis," She introduced herself.

"Pyroclasm," Pyro said, shaking his hand.

"Nice to meet you both," He replied with a nod. "I look forward to working with the two of you."

"Likewise," Artemis replied with a nod.

"Hey Kal'dur," M'Gann said brightly. "We're just wrapping up the tour."

"I see that," Aqualad replied with a nod. "Have you shown them the-?"

"So, what's that?" Pyro asked, pointing up at the floating red ball on the level above them. "You didn't say."

"That is my Martian Bioship," M'Gann replied with a bit of pride. "Right now, it's at rest, but it can unfold out to be large enough to carry the whole team and still have room."

"Really?" Pyro asked with some surprise. "I'd like to see."

"Uh…sure," M'Gann replied floating up past the group as they walked up the stairs. She telepathically woke up the ship, causing it to unfold and expand. "It's got full seating for everyone, a camouflage mode for stealth-"

She demonstrated that by activating the camouflage, causing it to be almost indistinguishable from the wall behind it. Pyro took a few steps off to the side and noted that the illusion wasn't broken simply by looking at it from another angle.

"That is _amazing_ ," Pyro gushed. "How does it work? The whole ship, I mean."

"It uses advanced Martian technology to do everything," M'Gann replied with a smile. "I could explain how it works, but then we'd be standing around for hours because of how complicated it is."

"You don't know?" Pyro asked flatly.

"I don't know," M'Gann admitted, feeling herself deflate. "Sorry."

"That's fine," Pyro replied with a shrug. "It just means that a trip to Mars just got added to my bucket list. You wouldn't be able to take us there, would you?"

That made M'Gann stiffen up again. "Uh, well…maybe someday. Eventually. It'd be a while."

Pyro sighed in disappointment. "Forget I asked."

"Okay," M'Gann said. "Anyway, that's the end of our tour. If you need anything, I'll be in the kitchen."

M'Gann lifted off and quickly floated to the kitchen, leaving everyone behind. With a glare, Superboy walked off to follow her.

"Well, if either of you need me, I'll be in the Library," Pyro said, pointing to the exit.

"Just be sure to be in the Training Room at 1900 hours," Aqualad directed to him. "That's in half an hour, if you do not understand military time."

"I got it," Pyro gave a two-fingered salute as he walked off.

Artemis and Aqualad started to walk to the exit themselves.

"So, is there anyone else on the team?" Artemis asked.

"Robin and Kid Flash are," Aqualad replied. "Robin has gone off to the Batcave to take care of some things and should be back any minute. Kid Flash has not gotten out of school yet."

"Got it," Artemis nodded in understanding. "By the way, can the training room double as a shooting range? I'd like to get some practice in with my bow."

"Of course," Aqualad answered with a nod. "Let me show you how to set it up."

* * *

"Recognized: Batman: 02, Robin: B01."

Gotham's Dynamic duo showed up right on time, entering the training room at an easy pace. "Robin, meet Artemis and Pyroclasm."

"Nice to meet you," Robin replied with an easy smile, shaking Pyro's offered hand. "You guys already get the tour?"

"We did," Pyro replied. "I love your library; the technical manuals you have in there are fantastic."

"I always preferred Tolkien myself," Robin quipped good naturedly. "Is KF here or are we waiting on him?"

"He isn't here yet," M'Gann answered the shake of her head. "I've got some cookies in the kitchen though if you'd like-"

"Recognized: Kid Flash, B03."

"The Wall-man is here!" Kid Flash, sans uniform, ran into the cave in swimming trunks, carrying towels, beach umbrellas and a surfboard. He even had a white strip on his nose. "Let's get this party start-"

Then he promptly tripped on his sandals and sent the beachball he was carrying flying through the training room, bouncing between Red Tornado and Batman, neither of whom even flinched. "-ed."

After a second of everyone staring at him, the full force of his embarrassment filled in and the silence was cut through by a single voice.

"Wall-Man, huh?" Artemis asked with a smirk. "I love the uniform. What, exactly are your powers?"

"Probably has to do with making walls of some kind," Pyro added without missing a beat. "We need no longer fear not having walls."

"You think he's restricted to the beach?" Artemis asked, smirk growing larger.

"Probably," Pyro answered, a grin becoming apparent in his tone of voice. "Shame his powers don't seem to come with sunscreen."

"Oh, ha-ha," Kid Flash said, walking up to the group. "Who are they?"

"Artemis and Pyro," Artemis introduced herself again for the fourth time today. "We're you're new teammates."

"Kid Flash, never heard of either of you," Kid Flash responded quickly a smirk of his own growing on his face.

"Yes, you have," Pyro argued cheerfully. "I'm just wearing a mask."

"Sure, I have," Kid Flash replied sarcastically. "You're secretly Steven Hawking in disguise. And that's Marie Curie back from the dead. But that can't be true, because I don't remember her biting the archer schtick from Green Arrow."

"She's my new Protégé," Green Arrow replied helpfully, placing a hand on her shoulder.

"Wh-what happened to your old one?" Kid Flash asked in alarm.

"Recognized: Speedy: B06."

"Well for starters, he doesn't go by Speedy anymore," Speedy walked in, wearing a black and red uniform that looked sleek and modern in contrast to his old one which looked like it was taken from medieval times. "Call me Red Arrow."

"Roy," Green Arrow said, taking a step forward around Artemis. For some reason, Pyro balked at him. "You look-"

"Replaceable," Red Arrow responded.

"Well, that's what happens when you leave a vacancy," Pyro immediately quipped.

"Shut up, kid," Red Arrow barked in response. "This doesn't concern you."

"I'm just questioning the logic of throwing a temper tantrum in the Hall of Justice, going solo," Pyro responded, almost sounding like he hadn't even heard him. "And then getting mad when his mentor thinks his teachings have been a complete success since his first one has left the roost and wants to spread his knowledge further."

"I think it made him feel special," Artemis suggested with a nod.

"Not special enough to stick around, apparently," Pyro replied with a nod of his own.

Red Arrow growled in anger.

"Stop it both of you," Green Arrow snapped. When they both fell silent, he continued. "Look, I found someone with talent who wanted to fight crime and I figured that since you told me you were flying solo, it would be a good thing to teach someone new."

"Who even are you?" Kid Flash asked with a glare at Artemis.

"She's my niece," Green Arrow claimed.

"I'm his niece," Artemis also claimed at the same time.

"A niece?" Robin asked rhetorically with a grin.

"But she is not your replacement," Aqualad replied, stepping up to Red. "We have always wanted you on the team, and there is no quota on Archers."

"And if we did, you know who we'd pick," Kid Flash quipped.

Pyroclasm folded his arms, his mask preventing any insight to his expression.

"Look, she's here to stay," Green Arrow said. "Both of them are. Roy, it'd be great if we fought crime together again and joined this team, but no one is forcing you to be here."

"Yeah, this doesn't seem like a social call," Robin added, stepping forward. "What's the problem?"

"The problem is the League of Shadows," Red Arrow replied, going from angry to business-like in a fraction of a second. "And a weapon called 'The Fog'."

"Woah," Robin said, eyes getting wide in excitement.

"Do go on," Aqualad replied, folding his arms.

"The Fog is a swarm of millions of microscopic nanites capable of disintegrating anything in their path," Speedy started, uploading his datafile on the machines from his wrist computer. "Concrete, steel, skin? Anything. But it's real purpose is Infiltration; the robots are capable of stealing data from any computer system and they deliver that data to the shadows. Providing them with strategic intel, scientific data, cutting edge weapons and technology."

"Perfect for extortion, manipulation, power and information dealing," Artemis surmised off the top of her head. "Yeah, sounds like the shadows."

"You speak like a former member," Pyro stated neutrally.

Artemis immediately froze. "N-no. No, not a member. Never a member, I'm Green Arrow's niece."

"I didn't say you were ever a member," Pyro explained, a lilt of cheer entering his voice. "Just that sounded like one."

"Alright, alright, how do we beat that?" Kid Flash asked, his eyes narrowing. "That's bad news."

"Two weeks ago, the Shadows had abducted Dr. Serling Roquette to create the fog," Red Arrow explained.

"Dr. Serling Roquette," Robin said informationally, bringing up the data on the good doctor on holographic screens. "Nanorobotics genius and Claytronics expert at Royal University in Star City. Vanished, er…abducted two weeks ago."

"You want us to rescue her from the shadows to shut down The Fog?" Kid Flash asked with a grin.

"Awesome," Robin replied, exchanging a fist bump with KF.

"I've already taken care of that," Red Arrow responded. "She's off the grid; I've stashed her at a local Highschool computer lab where she's working on a virus that will force the robots to self-destruct."

"Which means that the Shadows will attempt track her down and eliminate her before she can finish," Aqualad said with a serious look on his face.

"And you left her alone?" Green Arrow asked, aghast at such carelessness.

"She's safe for now," Red Arrow replied. "But if she's going to deploy the virus, she's going to need protection and fast."

"Then let's you and I head out do what we do best," Green Arrow offered, spreading his arms in an attempt to appear reconciliatory.

"You and I?" Red Arrow asked with a raised eyebrow. "Ask your new protégé."

"Why don't the three of you head out together and make a night of it?" Pyro suggested neutrally. "If you're really that mad about it."

Batman stepped forward and placed a shoulder on Green Arrow's shoulder. Green Arrow sighed. "You brought it to the team, which means it's their mission. Which means it's hers too."

"Then my job is done," Red Arrow replied, marching over to the Zeta Tube.

"Recognized: Speedy, B06."

Red Arrow grunted in irritation. "That's Red Arrow. B06, update."

The tube activated and he disappeared.

"Let's move out to the Highschool and rendezvous with Dr. Roquette," Aqualad said and began leading the team to the Hangar.

"Quick Question," Pyroclasm said, raising a finger in the air.

"What?" Aqualad asked irritably, turning on his heel.

"What exactly is stopping us from moving Dr. Roquette here?" Pyro asked, pointing down at the ground with both index fingers to make his point.

"The fact that this is a top-secret facility and we don't want anyone to know it's being used," Kid Flash instantly snarked. "Come on, seriously?"

"Okay, blindfold and earplugs, sedation or faking a warp jump or something mid-transit would take care of that problem," Pyro explained, listing off each solution on his fingers. "She'd be much safer here than some Highschool and it'd be easier for her to work on the virus with much more powerful computers."

"Unacceptable," Batman replied. "That'd be giving a computer genius access to our systems."

"Not necessarily," Pyro disagreed calmly. "Pick a terminal, say one in the library, create a new user and cut off it's permissions to anything outside of what she needs to do her job and that should be enough to make sure she doesn't somehow get into things she shouldn't. Make sense?"

"We'd still need to locate the Fog and if we do that, it'll lead the shadows right to the mountain," Robin argued.

"Again, not necessarily," Pyro replied. "Have the doctor write the location script to a thumb-drive or transmitter and we could relay the signal to that Highschool the Doctor is currently stashed in and then we actually use it once connection between the relay computer and Mount Justice has been severed, leading them straight there. We could then split up the team, one to go after the fog and the other to stay at the school and protect the relay. If we were really clever, we could set up a trap for whoever the Shadows send for the Doctor."

"The only problem with that is that the Doctor would be here and not at the school," Artemis replied, holstering her bow on her back. "The moment they see that, they'll run."

"We have a shape-shifter," Pyro replied, pointing directly at M'Gann. "That make sense?"

Aqualad stopped to think for a moment. Then he turned to the rest of the team. "I think it is a good plan. Batman, can we bring her here as long as we secure the connection as Pyroclasm has described?"

Batman said nothing for a few moments mulling it over. "Very well. Pyroclasm, you will pick the terminal and set up the security measures. If she accesses anything she is not supposed too, it is your head."

"I understand," Pyro nodded. "I'll do that while you guys are picking up the Doctor…by the way, how are you getting her here without revealing that we're just taking her down the street?"

"Sedation might be the easiest route," Aqualad replied, looking around. "Robin, do you have anything?"

Batman stepped forward and handed several pills to Robin. "One of these will be enough to put her into a light sleep. Just nudge her to wake her when you've returned."

"Thanks Batman," Robin replied. "Alright, let's go."

Pyro started walking toward the Library. As he passed Red Tornado, he asked. "Red Tornado, would you be willing to stand watch over Dr. Roquette to make sure she doesn't access anything?"

"I will monitor her terminal remotely," Red Tornado answered. "If she attempts anything, she will be stopped."

"Awesome, thank you," Pyro said cheerfully. "I was almost afraid I'd have to do it."

"I almost think I should rescind my offer," Red Tornado replied immediately. "It is, after all, your plan."

"You can do that if you want," Pyro explained. "I just was hoping for the chance to prove I can actually work with the team after roasting them for the better part of ten minutes."

* * *

 _Author's Notes: Well, my muse decided to hit me again, so here's another chapter. So soon, too._

 _Young Justice is a show that I respect greatly for it's attempt at taking the DC universe as a whole and attempting to write an actual cohesive world with the material given. Weissman and co. deserve_ mad _props for handling this titanic task with has much finesse and grace as they did. I don't agree with every decision they made, but they made those decisions out of love and passion for the DC universe and the Team in particular, so I can respect them._

 _That said, I did notice a few things that had me scratching my head while watching this episode – they've been laid out here in the chapter itself but to be fair, Pyro's suggestions have some really good reasoning behind why they weren't immediately considered and even now, it's very, very risky. But I had to at least explore them here._

 _What did you guys think of the costume? For the longest time, I wanted a fire-user with a costume based on the Fire Fighter, just because the concept brings the biggest smile to my face. Was anyone out of character?_

 _I'm also slightly concerned about the dialogue. Some lines, particularly in the latter half, are lifted straight from the episode and while I tried really hard to avoid that, I honestly couldn't think of a better line; this is both indicative of my lack of creativity here as well as the strength of some of the dialogue the show had. Let me know if you noticed or minded._

 _Shout out and humongous thanks goes out too top contributors_ Melden V, Anders Kronquist, Ray Tony Song, makopaulo, Volkogluk, Aaron Bjornson, iolande, Martin Auguado, Julio, Jiopaba, Hackerham, Tim Collins-Squire, Maben00, Devil's Bite _and_ Sultan Saltlick. _Your continued support is what makes stories like this possible._

 _Until the next time!_

 _~Fulcon_


	3. Chapter 3: Hot Knives

_The following is a fanbased work of fiction. Young Justice is property of DC Comics, Warner Brothers and Greg Weissman – please support the official release._

* * *

Aqualad wasn't sure about either of his new teammates.

Obviously, they wouldn't be allowed on the team if they truly posed any danger to them, but it wasn't the danger of either of them somehow mystically being a plant since Green Arrow and Batman intentionally sought them out, but it was more that he was wary of how much experience they actually possessed.

"Alright, tracker program is done," Dr. Roquette said over her communicator. "Sending it to your machine now."

"Got it," Pyro replied confidently, sitting at the chair and starting up the program. "Alright, tracker is primed."

"You may cut the connection between the computers when ready," Aqualad added with a nod.

Did either Artemis or Pyroclasm have any experience in a fight? They both carried themselves as trained fighters, at the very least. Artemis may or may not have had some connection to the Shadows given her reaction to Pyro's needling. And Pyro was likely trained in some martial art as was somewhat common for surface dwellers, but was he combat ready?

"Alright, connection severed," Dr. Roquette replied quickly. "I'll contact you when the virus is complete."

"Understood," Aqualad nodded and hung up. "Pyro, launch the signal."

"You got it, Skipper," Pyro replied, typing on the keyboard like his fingers had been laced with lightning. "Signal is sent. Just touched down in Philadelphia."

 _Ms. Martian, link us up,_ Aqualad thought to his teammate, who was just walking up. _We do not want the Shadow's to intercept our comms._

 _Everyone on-ow!_ Ms. Martian thought clutching her head.

 _M'Gann, what's wrong?_ Superboy asked worriedly.

 _There's some thing on the network that's…attacking me!_ Ms. Martian said. _Like driving nails through my skull!_

 _And you're only doing a surface read of everyone's thoughts?_ Pyro asked, also worried.

 _Yes!_ Ms. Martian thought, slowly buckling over. _Oh, it hurts! Ow!_

 _Alright, give me a second,_ Pyro thought with irritation, going into his wrist-computer. _There. Better?_

 _Yeah,_ Ms. Martian said, slowly standing up. _What was that?_

 _My implant,_ Pyro replied with a shrug.

 _Your implant?_ Artemis thought in surprise.

 _Yeah, it's a chip on my brain designed to repel unwanted telepathic contact,_ Pyro replied with a shrug. _The fact that it was giving Ms. Martian the third degree on just a surface reading meant its sensitivity was turned up way too high. Sorry about that, it's fixed now._

 _Okay, wow,_ Ms. Martian said with an uneasy smile. _I had no idea people on Earth valued their privacy that much._

 _I'm stingier about it than most,_ Pyro explained. _Again, I apologize. It won't happen again._

 _It better not_ , Superboy snarled.

 _Are you still mission ready?_ Aqualad asked with a concerned frown.

 _Yes,_ Ms. Martian started nodding. _Yes, I'm ready. Just give me one moment._

She began to shape shift. Her red hair shortening and turning blonde. She grew taller and glasses appeared out of her skull. The blue cloak and black catsuit were traded for a white lab coat, rolled up at the sleeves. Serling Roquette took Pyro's seat at the computer.

 _Well, that's just great,_ Kid Flash snarked. _Our teammate's a killer cyborg that almost melted M'Gann's brains by accident._

 _You know, if we ever come in contact with a telepathic attacker, you're going to be thanking me for putting in this implant,_ Pyro pointed out.

 _Enough,_ Aqualad told them. _Just focus on the mission. If we need to speak of it after, we will, but right now we need to mobilize. Superboy, Robin and Kid Flash, taken the bioship to track the Fog and take care of it's handlers. Artemis, Pyroclasm, Ms. Martian and Myself will remain here to spring the trap._

 _Aw, man!_ Kid Flash thought with a groan. _I do not want to leave Megan and you alone with the noobs._

 _Same,_ Superboy thought back with a bit of anger. _You're expecting to get attacked soon and I don't think you'd want anyone but your best there to take them on._

 _You, Kid Flash and Robin are our best chance at containing the Fog directly and slowing its progress,_ Aqualad replied, trying to play mediator. _If the virus fails or attacks a key target, there is still a chance to bring down with direct force. Ms. Martian and I can look after Artemis and Pyroclasm if they need it, which I don't think they will._

After all, if they truly couldn't handle danger, Batman and Green Arrow would not have sought them out for membership.

 _Guys, come on,_ Robin interjected, trying to sound diplomatic. _Feel the aster, Aqualad and Ms. Martian will be more than enough to handle whatever the shadows throw at them. They'll be fine._

 _But I don't want to feel the aster,_ Kid Flash retorted grumpily. _Ugh…alright, let's go._

 _Give me just a second to configure it for you,_ Ms. Martian thought, concentrating for a moment. _Done. You going, Superboy? I'll be fine. Promise._

 _Fine,_ Superboy thought and the three boarded the bioship and flew off. As they grew further and further away, each of their presences could be felt blinking out of existence.

Aqualad wanted Kid Flash away from Artemis and Pyroclasm for the simple fact that they had both taken turns insulting him for what was ultimately a miscommunication. He thought there would still be time for fun at the beach and didn't catch Batman's message that there would be a training meeting to help ingratiate Artemis and Pyro ingratiate themselves into the team.

A shame he had missed the fun day that they had, but ultimately not his fault. But that did not mean that there would not be friction between Kid Flash, Superboy, Artemis and Pyroclasm, which had to be avoided until it could be properly addressed at a later date.

 _Artemis, Pyroclasm, patrol the perimeter,_ Aqualad instructed. _If you see anything unusual call it in and we'll prepare for the attack._

 _Quick question, do they know that Ms. Martian is on the team?_ Pyro asked, moving out of the classroom.

 _I do not believe they know our team's composition,_ Aqualad replied, starting his patrol of the classroom. _But it would be foolish to assume that they do not know that a team has been formed. Do you think they'll suspect anything?_

 _Not if we act like Ms. Martian is the real Dr. Roquette,_ Pyro thought, partially to himself. _Which means that she should not transform or take part in the fight until all other cards have been played. Last resort only._

 _I agree,_ Aqualad said.

 _Isn't this weird for anyone else?_ Artemis asked, letting her curiosity color her question.

 _You get used to it,_ Aqualad answered. _We use this link on missions because we do not want our comms to be compromised._

Everyone on the link could hear the instant that Pyroclasm froze in place. _Aren't our comms encrypted?_

 _Yes, they are,_ Ms. Martian replied, sounding uncharacteristically dour. _But you know, eavesdropping is a thing?_

 _Okay, whew. That makes sense, I get it,_ Pyro's nervousness immediately evaporated. _Good. Thanks, I was worried there for a second._

 _No problem,_ Ms. Martian replied, typing randomly at the computer to keep up the charade.

 _By the way, we've got a rogue heat signature hopping the fence by the eastern entrance,_ Pyro reported, slipping back into his easy candor. _Hauling it to the computer lab as fast as possible._

 _Understood,_ Aqualad replied. _Wait five seconds then move to flank it when it enters._

 _Roger,_ Pyro thought back.

 _5…4…3…2…1,_ Artemis counted then both of them started running toward the class room from their individual positions.

Aqualad stood over Ms. Martian as Roquette, listening as closely as possible. The door on the computer lab creaks when opened, as he had found out when they initially moved the Doctor to Mount Justice. Which meant that it'll be easy to tell when the assassin was to enter the room.

Which was now.

The creak of the door opening very slowly was followed by the whistling air passing through. Aqualad immediately dove for Ms. Martian with a shout. "Get down!"

The shuriken hit Aqualad in the back and he stood up immediately, feeling it fall out after failing to properly embed itself in his skin. Drawing his water-bearers, he created a shield in front of him which blocked a trio of poisoned darts. In his other hand, he made a machete.

"Well, I got you with one," The Assassin remarked, charging into the room with a pair of Sai drawn. She had a short, green kimono with black tabi on her feet and guards on her shins and forearms. Of course the most eye-catching detail was the kabuki mask, carved into the style of a cat with a massive, toothy grin painted on the front. "Your backs got to be killing you."

"It hardly scratched me," Aqualad replied, blocking the attack with his shield and taking a swipe at her with a machete.

"Don't need more than a scratch for the poison," She replied in a sing-song voice, back flipping onto one of the desks and jumping back.

"You'll find that I'm largely immune," Aqualad countered, transforming his shield into a whip which he cracked over the desk, forcing the Assassin to duck.

"Protect the Doctor!" Pyro burst into the room at top speed and jumped, propelling himself with a series of micro explosions with his fist cocked back. As he landed, he used another explosion to propel his fist forward, leaving a hole in the desk as the Assassin jumped back out of the way.

Aqualad cracked the whip over the now-exposed Assassin and directly snaring her wrist, encasing her hand in water. Immediately, Aqualad's tattoos started to glow white and right before his water whip could stun her with the electricity, she brought her other sai down, cutting the connection and letting her free.

She jumped onto the desk behind her as Pyro took another swing at her from his kneeling position, throwing two shuriken at him and missing. Pyro made to stand and give chase but found the shuriken had embedded themselves in the floor, pinning the tail of his trench coat to the ground. _I swear this doesn't happen to Robin._

 _Focus,_ Aqualad admonished, turning the whip into another machete and jumped after the Assassin with both blades raised.

Artemis entered the class, arrow drawn. _I'm here!_

Aqualad landed on the desk and took one swipe, two, then ducked, allowing Artemis to let loose. The Assassin blocked one, then two arrows with her sai and jumped off of the desk to dodge the third, as well as blast of fire from Pyroclasm, still pinned to the ground.

For a brief moment, Aqualad was afraid that Pyro had accidentally set him on fire, but nothing came of being so close to the flame. Artemis hopped onto the desk and knocked another arrow and Pyroclasm pulled his coat free with an angry growl.

"Hm. This party's gotten just a bit too hot for me," The Assassin noted airily, dropping something from her hand and causing the room to light up in smoke.

 _In pursuit of the Assassin,_ Pyro immediately thought while Artemis and Aqualad were both coughing up smoke.

Aqualad heard Pyro lift off with another explosion, this one loud a sustained over a period of time. Both he and Artemis ran for the door and caught sight of Pyro, having tackled the Assassin and was trading punches with her at the end of the hall. Then Pyro jumped forward and grabbed her, trying to throw her to the ground.

 _"Gaah!"_ Pyroclasm's cry of pain was both physical and mental as the Assassin stood up and ran, leaving another smoke-screen to cover her tracks.

The two caught up with Pyroclasm and saw that the Assassin had managed to stick a knife in the bottom right-hand side of his torso up to the hilt. _Crap! Ow! Frick! Stuck me right through the lung! Gotta remove the knife! Now!_

Aqualad and Artemis immediately knelt by their injured comrade. Ms. Martian, still in Roquette's form, floated out of the class room as quickly as possible.

 _If we remove the knife, that will only accelerate the bleeding into your lung,_ Aqualad replied, a sick feeling settling into his stomach. _You could drown. Try to stay calm, I will call the Mountain._

Artemis had turned completely serious. _Oh, this is bad. I don't think we can treat a punctured lung._

 _I can hold the wound closed with telekinesis,_ Ms. Martian thought urgently. _Call Tornado. Now!_

 _On it!_ Artemis replied, grabbing her comm unit.

 _No! It's fine,_ Pyroclasm was breathing heavily and gasping in pain. _Accelerated healing. Must…remove…_

Pyro immediately grasped the knife by the hilt and pulled it out with a cry of pain. The blade itself was glowing red and caused the tile-floor of the school to start smoking. Then Pyro held the wound, blood staining his costume. "Okay…okay-"

Then he started coughing like crazy, getting on his hands and knees. The sound of his visor sliding open was nearly covered up by his chucking blood up with every heave. After the coughing fit, which seemed to last forever, he was able to breathe easily again. He sat up concurrently with his visor sliding down. A small trail of smoke was rising from where he was stabbed. _The wound's fusing shut now. I'll have a bit of a black mark on my skin for a few days but then it should fade into a relatively invisible scar._

 _You are lucky you can heal so quickly,_ Aqualad replied, standing and offering him a hand.

 _Oh, I know,_ Pyro thought in relief, taking the hand. _I wouldn't be here on this mission today if I couldn't, actually._

 _Have you been stabbed before?_ Artemis asked with an irritated glare.

 _No,_ Pyro shook his head. _But I have been sliced up before. It's how I know. Thanks for coming to help me out._

 _You are welcome,_ Aqualad said.

 _No problem,_ Ms. Martian replied with a hesitant smile.

 _We couldn't just let you die there,_ Artemis replied.

 _Unbelievable,_ Pyro thought, looking down at the stab wound. _She stabbed me in the gap between the padding. Oh, boy. What's our next move?_

 _We should-_ Aqualad began, before being interrupted by everyone's communicator beeping.

"What's the situation?" Aqualad asked with a frown.

* * *

"We found the Fog's first target," Robin began, pitching the bio-ship toward the facility, then leveling it out. "It doesn't look like the Fog has been released yet, but we've got a signal."

The bio-ship's ramp extended out as the ship descended.

"Doc, how close are you to finishing that Virus?" Kid Flash asked, standing up and moving over to the ramp.

"I think I'm almost done," Dr. Roquette replied as the third party on the call. "Just need a few more minutes, then I have to compile the code then we can upload it directly to the Fog."

"Don't need it," Superboy responded, hopping out of the bioship and onto the street below.

"Hey, wait up!" Kid Flash called, clipping the line to his costume and jumping out after him.

Robin sighed and stood up to follow after them. "How'd the ambush go?"

"They sent an assassin, and we nearly had her," Aqualad explained. "She got away when she stabbed Pyroclasm in the lung."

"Wait, what?" Robin asked, alarmed.

"Is he okay?" Dr. Roquette asked, also alarmed.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Pyro responded, taking a deep breath. "I heal quick so I'm lucky."

"Whew, good," Robin said, looking down to see the car below them had some kind of laser turret on top…and that the Fog had been activated. It was like a dark, ominous cloud that moved like rolling thunder, save for the fact that, from this high up at least, the cloud was quiet.

"We're moving our Doctor to another location," Aqualad informed them. "We'll scan for the fog again and this time, we'll be ready for her."

"Keep me posted," Robin said, drawing his grappling hook and firing. When he hooked onto the nearest building, he swung down, retracting and re-shooting the hook as needed until he landed on the street.

The laser turret that Robin had seen earlier was, instead a supervillain with some kind of helmet. Professor Ojo, he recognized, from the Batcave's database on League of Shadow members. Obviously, he was the one managing the Fog.

 _Good eye, Superboy,_ Robin thought to himself with a giddy laugh as he ducked behind a car. _We could definitely upload the virus from the laptop he's got stashed away in the back, there._

Kid Flash ran up to the car at super speed, a punch flying toward the Professor's head, only for the professor to turn and blast him right in the chest. He flew back and hit the ground with a grunt and a groan. Superboy got up from being blasted earlier and charged across the pavement, each step like a great leap, only to be blasted back, again, and hit twice more on the ground for good measure.

Robin moved and ducked behind a van, this one on the side of the street that the Professor was on. To the side, he saw the Star Labs building start to collapse from the inside and Robin suppressed a hiss of disappointment. _Good thing there isn't anyone in there._

Kid Flash ran around to the side, at an angle that made Robin immediately press himself as tightly as he could against the front of the van in an attempt to remain hidden. The sound of laser moving closer toward him as it followed Kid Flash lit a fire underneath Robin and he jumped out of the way before his improvised cover exploded.

Using the pillar of smoke to cover his movement, he moved close to the wreck and waited. The sound of laser-fire clued him into the fact that Professor Ojo was looking away from him and he moved; he swiftly dove forward, looking into the car.

Unfortunately, the driver took this time to look up from his hunched over position and gasp in surprise as Robin peeked his head over.

With a quick glance at Professor Ojo, Robin dove the driver, only for the driver to parry the attack and retaliate with a kick to Robin's sternum. The rocking of the car got Professor's Ojo's attention, and Robin found himself forced out of the car to dodge the laser blasts.

Robin dropped a smoke pellet on landing and scrambled toward the nearest cover. A whoosh of air brought Robin's attention back to STAR Labs. Fortunately, the building had stopped being disintegrated and was still half-standing. Unfortunately, that was because the Fog was now buzzing and swarming menacingly back to the car.

"Shadow's called the fog back," Robin barked into his comm unit. "They're turning it on us!"

"Wait, are you serious?" Kid Flash asked. "Yeah, you're serious! Crap!"

Robin saw the fog go after Superboy, who started screaming in rage and agony. Kid Flash started running circles around him to stir up a tornado, bringing the fog off of him. Robin started to go in again, only to see that the Fog had split up and was now going after him.

He took off, jumping over a car and drawing his grapple hook and firing it up the wall of the building. He launched up and stopped the ascent to swing around the side. The buzzing faded and as he landed on the buildings side, he saw why – the Fog had been recalled entirely and the car was speeding off, nanite's still returning to the cannister in tow making a tale.

With two hard leaps, Robin descended and retracted his grapple as he ran over to his teammate. As he got near to Kid Flash, he asked, "Is he okay?"

Kid Flash took a breath. "It looks really bad."

"How ba-yikes!" Robin gaped.

Superboy's shirt and jeans had been partially eaten away. His skin was red all over and in some cases, missing entirely, revealing the tight fibers of muscle underneath them. The holes were starting to close, but it was a slow process.

"Oh, that's bad," Robin said immediately grabbing his comm unit. "Ms. Martian!"

"Yes, Robin?" Aqualad responded. "Ms. Martian is still on mars, you know that."

 _She's in disguise and can't take the call,_ Robin remembered, wanting to smack himself in the head. "Look, I need to know if the bioship can have a sunlamp on it and fast."

"She…mentioned to me before hand that it can," Aqualad replied in surprise. "Why, what's wrong?"

"The shadows turned the Fog on us when we showed up," Robin answered. "Superboy is hurt. Really bad."

"I'm f-" Superboy wound up falling forward, bracing his fall with his nearly skinless hands.

The line was quiet for much longer than necessary. "She informed me that the ship has a yellow sun lamp on the main deck. _Hurry_."

"You got it," Robin turned his comm unit off. "You heard Aqualad, let's go!"

"I got this shoulder if you've got the other one," Kid Flash said, grabbing Superboy's right shoulder and hoisting him up.

"It's going to be okay, alright?" Robin said, taking the other shoulder and helping Superboy move toward the bioship that had started lowering to meet them.

"I…hate…bugs…" Superboy said through grit teeth and red eyes. "Absolutely. _Hate_. Them."

"Me too, big guy," Kid Flash responded with a nod, continuing to help him up the loading ramp.

True to her word, there was now what looked like an operating table right behind the captain's chair, strips of yellow light shining up from beneath the tabletop. Above, there was a bright sunlamp shining directly down.

"Let's just get you on the counter," Robin said soothingly. "Nice and easy."

With a grunt of pain, they were able to get Superboy on the table, where his heavy, labored panting eased up considerably into a deep, relaxed breath. "This…this feels nice."

The skin began growing back at a faster rate, the wounds closing.

"Okay, what do we do?" Kid Flash asked with a frown.

"Professor Ojo, that's his name, is controlling the Fog with a laptop in the back seat," Robin said, sitting down at the command console. "We're still getting a signal from the Fog, so we can track them and sneak up on them when they're distracted again."

"We need to take out that guy's eyebeam," Kid Flash said, folding his arms and taking his seat as the ship gently ascended once again. "We can't get close to them with that thing stopping us at every turn. Can you hack the laptop's signal?"

"I can try while we're in pursuit," Robin replied, immediately getting onto his wrist-computer. "No promises, it could be encrypted too strong to break in a single night."

"Right, you need a direct connection to just take over," Kid Flash said with a breath. "Man, nothing's going right on this mission."

"It could be worse," Robin replied, calm as a cucumber. "The other team could be stuck actually guarding the Doctor on top of trying to trap the Shadows."

"Yeah, I guess," Kid Flash replied with a shrug. "Can you believe the noobies, though?"

"It was kind of funny when you showed up all ready for the beach, KF," Robin replied with a smirk. "Come on, you can't lie."

"It wasn't my fault," Kid Flash argued hotly. "I got told that the training sesh was at nine and I never got the message saying it was rescheduled to break in pants-on-fire and 'Green Arrows Niece'."

"I mean, I texted you," Robin replied with a raised eyebrow. "You didn't look at your phone?"

Kid Flash groaned in irritation. "I ran it out of battery at school."

"What were you doing?" Robin asked, his smirk growing.

"I forgot to plug it in the charger last night," Kid Flash admitted, deflating.

"Ooh, the bane of every modern human being," Robin shook his head in bemusement. "You forgot to charge the phone. I can see why you'd be distraught."

"I know," Kid Flash threw up his hands in frustration. "But they didn't have to rag me over it and they _really_ didn't have to rake Speedy across the coals the way they did."

"Yeah, that was a little harsh," Robin nodded. "That's kind of between them and they butted into it."

"Hey!" Superboy called throatily from his table. "Shush."

* * *

 _Author's Notes: You know, I think the scariest thing in the world to go through is to press 'crt+A' and start typing when you really mean to press 'crt+I' to start up the Italics for the author's notes. Lost the entire chapter for all of ten seconds, which would've been a shame because_ then _we'd have lost this beauty._

 _Alright, where to begin? While I wanted to show Pyroclasm's plan to work, I also wanted to respect the League of Shadows as competent villains and show them adapting to changing circumstances. So, while Dr. Roquette is safe and sound in Mount Justice, Cheshire doesn't mess around and would've killed Pyro if it wasn't for the fact that his elemental-part helps him deal with things like injury. The thing that really saved him was that the injury itself wasn't that large in size so it was easier to fuse it shut._

 _So too with Professor Ojo and the Fog. In the original show, he never used the Fog against the team and they had already gotten to Waynetech by the time Superboy had engaged them. Here, they didn't even start hacking Star Labs before the team got there and Wally was there – so they respected the additional muscle that has been brought by the team and turned Dr. Roquette's 'utility fog' against them. The results weren't pretty. KF managed to avoid harm by moving too fast, Robin barely escaped contact until the nanites were recalled and the Professor made a hasty retreat. Superboy caught the brunt and as you read, it was not pretty._

 _Next chapter will be the exciting conclusion of the mission proper, then one more chapter as the denouement, then an interlude which will be a Michael Winter POV chapter._

 _Big thanks and shout outs too_ Melden V, Anders Kronquist, Ray Tony Song, makopaulo, Volkogluk, Aaron Bjornson, iolande, Martin Auguado, Julio, Jiopaba, Hackerham, Tim Collins-Squire, Maben00, Devil's Bite _and_ Sultan Saltlick. _Thank you for your continued support._

 _Until the next time!_

 _~Fulcon_


	4. Chapter 4: Flash in the Pan

_The following is a fanbased work of fiction. Young Justice is property of DC Comics, Warner Brothers and Greg Weissman – please support the official release._

* * *

 _So, do you have any other implants?_ Artemis asked, folding her arms and leaning up against the Library desk.

 _No,_ Pyroclasm shook his head, perusing the various titles on the shelves with his finger. _When Green Arrow and Batman came to recruit me, I was working on an Endoskeleton thing to glue to my, well, skeleton, but I was having trouble deciding how I wanted to power it._

 _An endoskeleton?_ Ms. Martian asked in surprise. _Why?_

 _Eh, strength enhancement,_ Pyro replied airily. _Plus, a bit of reinforcement to avoid things like broken bones. You know, an extra bit of protection never hurt anyone. But after getting recruited, I decided getting a full body surgery before my first night on the team would be a bad idea. Looks like I was right._

 _No kidding,_ Artemis replied with a raised eyebrow.

 _Who performs these surgeries for you?_ Aqualad asked from his position outside of the library, crouched behind a tree.

 _That would be my little secret_ , Pyro answered neutrally. _I might end up telling Batman or someone if they make a big deal out of it, but other than that, I want to keep that to myself._

 _I only ask out of concern,_ Aqualad said, trying to let it be known in the link itself. _I do not want to eventually be told by Batman that our team is short one member because of a botched surgery._

 _Relax, I trust the surgeon with my life,_ Pyro replied, crossing over from one aisle of books to the next. _He already placed the chip in my skull, after all._

 _How did you even invent that anyway?_ Ms. Martian asked, still masquerading as Dr. Roquette and typing nonsense furiously. _I didn't believe Earth knew enough about telepathy to devise counter measures._

 _They've had almost sixty years to figure it out,_ Pyro began evenly. _People have been trying to understand telepathy and telekinesis since Manhunter was stranded on Earth back in the fifties. There's been a lot of material that's come out, especially since he's held a few Q &A's during his time here. Besides, I didn't invent it, I just built it._

 _So, what,_ Artemis began, adopting a skeptical expression on her face. _You just pulled the blue prints for this chip of yours off the internet? Really?_

 _Not exactly,_ Pyro replied, turning to face the Archer. _By the way,_ _Aqualad? You've got three heat signatures converging on your location. They're here._

 _This time, they will not get away,_ Aqualad replied. Through the telepathic link, they heard Aqualad bluff out a command. "Artemis, finish securing the library while I sweep the perimeter. We need to hold out until evac arrives."

 _Ooh, good bluff,_ Pyro thought with approval. _Give them a false sense of urgency so they're more likely to make mistakes._

 _I am glad you agree,_ Aqualad replied, before a feeling of surprise over took his link as he was pulled up by a Ninja with some sort of web-cannon on his wrist. The Ninja attempted to deliver a knockout punch, only for Aqualad to block it and his tattoos to start glowing. Lightning coursed from Aqualad to the Ninja, causing the Ninja to scream and convulse before falling unconscious. They both fell out of the tree and Aqualad jumped up then off the van on his side of the street, running for the library. "Artemis, we have company! Keep the Doctor working, we're almost out of time!"

The sound of a mechanical clicking behind him was enough to call his attention and he saw a hook flying for him. Aqualad jumped to the side, cleanly dodging out of the path of the hook and noting that the hook had come from an assassin with a cybernetic arm. _Pyro, find a place to hide. Can you use your flames to lock them in the room without burning the library down?_

 _I can, actually,_ Pyro answered. _Finding a spot to hide now._

 _Wait. Just curious,_ Artemis began critically. _Why didn't you do that earlier when it was just one of them?_

 _I didn't want to freak out Ms. Martian or Aqualad because it looked like I set the school on fire,_ Pyro responded. _Didn't want our resident pyrophobe to panic and drop her disguise._

 _Ah, gotcha,_ Artemis thought back with a nod.

Aqualad rapidly opened the door and shut it behind him, noting that the Assassin from earlier and Hook, one of the few known members of the League of Shadows, were both chasing him. _They will likely attempt to enter the Library through another entrance. Be ready._

Everyone's comms started beeping and the answered it.

"The virus is done," The real Dr. Roquette said with a sigh of relief. "Uploading now, get ready."

"Got it," Ms. Martian, the decoy Dr. Roquette replied. "Receiver in place."

"Hurry," Robin urged. "Professor Ojo's still on the run, looking for a place to hide. We might be able to take out The Fog while he's in hiding but I don't want to give him the chance to relocate it."

Aqualad clicked off his communicator.

 _I sense them,_ Ms. Martian reported. _They're both coming in through the roof._

 _Quick question,_ Pyro started. _Ms. Martian, can you patch the rest of us into their surface thoughts?_

 _Not without letting them hear ours too,_ Ms. Martian replied. _Virus is almost done downloading, I can send it to Robin…now._

 _Good!_ Aqualad thought in relief. _Just don't let them stop the upload and we'll have won._

 _That might be something you could ask Manhunter, you know, if you talk to him at all?_ Pyro continued as if he hadn't heard the good news.

 _He's my uncle,_ Ms. Martian explained. _I'll try talk to him about it later._

 _Awesome, thank you,_ Pyro replied.

Aqualad turned the corner right as Hook broke one of the skylights and jumped in, repelling down from the roof with his hook. The Assassin wasn't in sight.

Artemis strung an arrow and let it fly, only for Hook to jump to the side and for the arrow to release its payload of teargas harmlessly under one of the library's desks. Then Hook launched his hook at Artemis, hitting her square in the chest.

With a jump, Aqualad brought both of his water bearers up in the form of maces and slammed them down on Hook, the spikes striking holes in the artificial limb.

 _Their leader is getting ready to take a shot_ , M'Gann thought. _I've got a desk to block it…it's now or never._

While she was standing, Artemis looked up and saw the Assassin getting ready with a crossbow. _I got it._

She knocked a pair of explosive arrows and let them fly. They hit the ceiling behind where their leader was standing and after taking a second to prime, exploded, sending her to the ground, where she summersaulted away most of the impact.

 _I am so glad there's like a billion charities dedicated to helping pay for damages in superhero fights,_ Pyro thought, bemused. _I think people would be screwed, otherwise._

 _Pyro! They're in the library, seal them off,_ Aqualad ordered quickly, jumping back to dodge a swipe from Hook.

 _You got it_ , Pyro thought.

Suddenly, the dark computer lab was engulphed in orange and yellow light. Flames sprung to life along the walls of the library, being visible past the shelves of books and starting to get closer. The Assassin stood up slowly, Hook and her rapidly looking around for a way out of the cage that was rapidly closing in.

Pyro walked around one of the shelves, his hands in his pockets.

"I didn't expect to see you walking around," The Assassin said neutrally, drawing a collapsible sword.

"Oh, the burning rage from our last encounter is sustaining me," Pyro quipped easily, sounding for all the world that he was just talking about the weather. "You can avoid experiencing it first hand if you surrender, though. Aqualad's feeling generous."

"I am afraid that won't hold him back for long," Aqualad added, changing his maces into machetes. "He is very upset about getting stabbed."

 _I like the intimidation ploy,_ Artemis thought, holding her arrows knocked in her bow.

 _Sorry. Don't think. Talking easier,_ Pyro thought quickly, sounding as if he were suddenly heavily strained. _Huge fire. No burn. Is hard._

 _Sorry,_ Artemis thought sheepishly.

Hook immediately launched his hook at Doctor Roquette, only for it to suddenly turn around and hit him square in the face, knocking him out cold. Ms. Martian stood up and walked around the desk, lifting multiple of those same desks up with TK and shifting into her normal, green skinned form.

"We've been duped," Their leader said quietly with dawning horror.

"Roquette was never here," Aqualad confirmed with a small grin forming on his lips. "This has been a trap the whole time."

"Smoke doesn't work on me," Pyro barked angrily, pulling the fire in faster. It passed Ms. Martian without burning her but leaving her looking visibly freaked out. _Shrink fire, lessen strain. Shrink fire, lessen strain._ "You try, I'll set you on fire. Understand?"

Their leader continued to look around as the blaze closed in on her. The heat of the flames could be felt through her costume, causing her to start to sweat. "Alright, alright. Okay. I surrender."

"Handcuffs," Pyro said, drawing a pair of steel cuffs from his belt.

Ms. Martian grabbed them telekinetically while simultaneously pinning the Assassin's hands behind her. When the cuffs were on, the fire extinguished itself.

 _Okay, I am not doing that again,_ Pyro said with a mental sigh, snapping his fingers to extinguish several small fires that had started on the shelves and the floor in spite of his best efforts. _At least not without a lot more practice._

 _You did very well,_ Aqualad complimented with a nod. _Both of you._

"Now let's see who's under the mask," Ms. Martian said, sitting the assassin down and taking the Assassin's mask off with telekinesis.

Artemis gasped in shock and her eyes widened in abject horror; the only word she could utter was a whisper. "You!"

The Assassin chuckled slightly. "I want to say that it's good to see you again, Sister. But…present circumstances would make that a lie, hm?"

Everyone was quiet for a second.

"Is she really your sister?" Pyro asked, casually pointing at the Assassin.

Artemis was trying to form words to get them to come out of her mouth.

"Oh yes," The Assassin continued. "We used to do everything together. Training, fighting… learning how to kill…"

Artemis immediately let loose an arrow the hit just in front of the Assassin. Out of the tip came a small cloud of knock-out gas, forcing the Assassin unconscious. Artemis was breathing heavily and looking at each of them through the corners of her eyes.

 _That was unexpected,_ Pyro thought. _Ah well._

Aqualad looked down at the unconscious assassin, then to Artemis. _Is this true?_

Artemis didn't answer immediately, lowering the bow and taking a long breath. _Yes. Yes, it's true._

 _Oh wow,_ Ms. Martian's eyes widened in surprise.

 _I'm not like her,_ Artemis immediately thought, pleading her case before everyone. _Please, I don't want to kill anyone anymore. I've been fighting crime for the past few nights. Green Arrow and Batman came to recruit me afterwards. I want to be a hero and save lives instead of taking them._

 _And you didn't want people to know that you had some connection to the shadows,_ Pyro put together with a nod. _That makes sense. Are you actually Green Arrow's niece, then? Or no?_

Artemis hung her head. _No. No, I'm not._

 _Ms. Martian,_ Aqualad began, sounding like he was mulling something over while he turned to his teammate. _Has she done anything to cause the plan to fail?_

 _No,_ Ms. Martian shook her head. _Not that I've been able to see. She's been completely on our side as far as I can tell._

 _Then I do not believe this revelation changes anything, does it?_ Aqualad asked calmly.

Ms. Martian shook her head. _Not at all. She worked hard tonight and she had a lot of opportunities that I noticed she could've informed her sister that this was a trap and didn't. She's being honest with us, as far as I can tell._

 _I believe you are correct,_ Aqualad replied with a nod. "You fought well tonight. You stuck with us and helped ensure the plan went as smoothly as was possible. You could have betrayed us at any moment, but did not. Both Batman and Green Arrow trust you, Green Arrow enough to lie on your behalf."

He stuck his hand out. "Welcome to the team."

Artemis gingerly accepted the hand with a grateful smile. "Thank you."

"Glad we worked that out," Pyro said with a smile in his voice. "So, is my membership on the team still in question, or…?"

"Your plan seems to have worked perfectly, so your membership is not in question," Aqualad answered with the shake of his head. "Innocent misunderstandings or not, the only thing in question was your conduct. You and Artemis both antagonized one of our members and someone we would like to be on the team. You may have felt it was justified, but we did not need that."

"I can see why that'd be a problem," Pyro replied with a nod. "But I'm not going to stop pointing out when I think something or someone is being stupid. Sorry, just won't happen."

"Perhaps you can simply avoid taking it too far?" Ms. Martian suggested. "You didn't really set a good first impression, is the thing and we don't really know you that well."

"Eh…" Pyro made a waffling motion with his hand. "We'll see."

* * *

"We got the Virus," Robin breathed in relief as the download registered as complete on his wrist computer.

"Finally!" Kid Flash replied with a grin. "Just in time, they've pulled into their hideout!"

Down below, they watched the red convertible pull into an auto-garage in the middle of the city.

"Okay," Superboy said, getting off the table, looking fully healed up and _angry_. "I want payback. _Now_."

"Uh, we might want to find some new duds for you," Kid Flash replied, pointing at Superboy's tattered t-shirt, jeans and exposed boxers. "Kryptonian Rage looks a lot less impressive when you're just in your underwear."

Superboy growled. "Fine. Ask Ms. Martian if she keeps spare clothes in the ship."

"I'll head down and scout the area," Robin said opening the back of the ship and standing up. "Kid Flash, Superboy? Join me when you've got this sorted out."

"You got it," Kid Flash said with a salute, grabbing his communicator.

Robin tied a line to his belt and descended. The cool air rushed past him as he moved down. He touched quietly onto the roof and moved over to the small window he had noted on descent to look inside. There was the car, the driver and Professor Ojo.

"We will need to hide out for a few days," Professor Ojo was speaking into a phone. "No, I wasn't able to get the Star Labs data – I couldn't access their mainframe before the sidekicks showed up."

Robin felt a pang of irritation as he looked around. The laptop was still in the car. _That's where I need to be._

"Yes, Sensei. It will be done. We'll move the Fog to another city for deployment," Ojo continued, wandering farther away from the car itself.

The two sets of steps touching down on the roof brought Robin's attention to the others. "Alright. The laptop is still in the car. By the way, nice costume, by the way."

Superboy grunted in annoyance. He was dressed in a full black bodysuit with a Martian 'X' across the torso. "Tights are _not_ my style."

"So, you need us to run interference while you're hacking them?" Kid Flash asked.

"Yeah. Superboy, if you could smash your way in through the roof while Kid Flash runs in to cover you, you could keep them away from the laptop, they won't be able to use the fog again," Robin surmised quickly. "Then I could sneak in and disable it."

"Sounds good to me," Superboy, to his credit, took _one_ step to the side before stomping down with both feet, sending him through the garages roof.

"See you on the other side," Kid Flash bade before running off, down the wall and into the garage through the front door.

Robin latched his grapple to the roof and swung down as quickly as he could. No sooner than did he start did the lasers and bullets start to fly, the driver having acquired a submachine gun in transit. But the lasers were aimed at Superboy and the bullets Kid Flash so Robin was able to hide in the back seat.

"Come on, my grandpa can shoot better than you!" Kid Flash called over the sound of gunshots.

Robin hooked himself up to the laptop and started the upload. Luckily, the computer was already logged in so he didn't need to fuss with the password. _Uploading…uploading…come on, work faster!_

The sound of punches at lightning speed connecting signaled that the driver had been taken care of, as his slammed into the car. Robin noted that the driver was still alive from the way he was breathing, if not draped over the car door in the perfect way to blow his position if he woke up.

"Hey! Over here!" Kid Flash shouted, zipping over to Professor Ojo and running in a strafe as Ojo attempted to blast him without success.

"No, over here!" Superboy shouted back, sounding significantly angrier as he jumped at the Professor with his fist cocked back.

As Superboy was blasted back and then Wally was fended off by a wide sweep of laser, Robin found himself tapping his foot in impatience. "Come on, come on…"

Superboy charged forward again this time using small, super jumps to zig-zag from side to side as Ojo attempted to blast him. When Ojo caught Superboy, he was able to catch himself on the ground, anchoring himself into the concrete floor.

Kid Flash zipped forward, running with his tongue in his cheek, only for Ojo to immediately turn and catch Kid Flash dead in the chest, knocking him to the ground. That half a second was all Superboy needed, who charged forward with a roar and grabbed Ojo's helmet with both hands and immediately tore it into two pieces, leaving a metal, skull cap and a broken circuit board where his eyes were meant to be.

Then Superboy punched the professor in the face, sending him to the ground. He stood there for several seconds, his fists clenched around the metal pieces, breathing heavily through grit teeth. "That. Felt. Good."

"Done!" Robin shouted, throwing his hands into the air. "Whew! The Fog is defogged."

Superboy dropped the helmet pieces, wearing a giant smile. " _Yes._ "

"Mission Accomplished!" Kid Flash grinned happily. Then he saw the helmet Superboy dropped, it's laser still intact and moved to pick it up. "Cool, souvenir!"

Robin activated his communicator. "Mission Successful. The fog is down and Professor Ojo is in custody."

"Thank goodness," Doctor Roquette sighed in relief.

"We were successful on our end as well," Aqualad replied. "We have three captured Assassin's from the League of Shadows."

"Score!" Kid Flash shouted. "How much did you guys have to carry the noobies?"

"They pulled their weight satisfactorily," Aqualad replied over the communicator. "We did not need to pick up after them."

"Well, except for when I got stabbed but you know," Pyro interjected cheerfully. "We worked through that."

"Indeed," Aqualad replied.

"We'll hog-tie these guys and come pick you up," Robin replied. "Dr. Roquette, is Red Tornado there?"

After a second, the robot's voice came into the call. "Yes, Robin?"

"Can we get the authorities to come pick up two moderate risk criminals, reported with breaking, entering, willful destruction of private property and endangerment?" Robin requested with a raised eyebrow. "Oh, throw in a possible constructive manslaughter or murder while you're at it?"

"I'll take care of it," Red Tornado affirmed. "There will also be authorities to pick up the three Shadows Aqualad's team captured."

"Thanks, we'll see you at the cave," Robin hung up and drew two sets of handcuffs and got both Ojo and the driver in cuffs. Then he checked his wrist-computer, which was tracking the police "The cops are on their way, ETA five minutes."

"You think they'll be out that long?" Kid Flash asked, laser-helmet in his hand.

"Probably," Robin replied. "Let's head up to the ship but stick around just in case. Besides, seeing the police take the perp away is the best part of the job."

"I always thought it was punching people," Superboy argued with a raised eyebrow.

"I just like running fast and collecting stuff," Kid Flash interjected, showing the helmet in his hand.

Robin sighed in annoyance. "Okay, it's the best part of the job for _me_."

Superboy jumped up to the roof, Robin grappled and Kid Flash ran up the side of the building. Then Superboy jumped again, up to the landing ramp while Robin grappled up to that one and Kid Flash simply had to wait while Robin brought the ship down.

Kid Flash came aboard and the ramp closed…after that, they simply had to wait. The police arrived at the warehouse and forced the two criminals into an armored car.

As he watched the doors shut, Robin sighed in contentment. "Alright, I'm good. Let's go."

Robin pitched the ship upward and flew off in the direction of Happy Harbor. Kid Flash put his feet up on his desk, chewing on one of his mid-mission snacks. "You guys think Kal'dur was just being nice when he said they were just pulling their weight?"

"Nah," Robin shook his head. "They've both got some skills, I think they did fine."

"Oh really?" Kid Flash asked with a raised eyebrow. "I mean, sure Pyro's got enough chops to implant a chip into his skull, which I mean, I'd really like to know how he did that, but there is no way Artemis is as good an archer as Speedy – I mean, Red Arrow."

"She's still pretty good though," Robin said, leaning into the Captain's chair. "I mean, it was her arrow that saved you from Amazo."

"No, that was Red Arrow," Kid Flash objected, folding his arms.

"Nope," Robin shook his head, his lips curling into a smile.

Kid Flash didn't answer immediately. "Wait, really?"

"Yup," Robin nodded.

"Well, I'm not going to give her the satisfaction," Kid Flash harrumphed.

"Oh, come on, KF," Robin needled, still smiling. "She is the reason you're still running around today…"

Kid Flash sighed. "Fine, you're right. I should say thank you."

"There's the aster," Robin said with a smile.

"But not before I get confirmation that it was her arrow!" Kid Flash said, pointing at Robin like some kind of inspector.

"Really?" Superboy asked from his spot on the yellow sun table.

"Yeah!" Kid Flash affirmed, turning his chair to look at Superboy. Then he stopped. "Wait, are you really sunbathing on our way back?"

"Yeah," Superboy replied with a relaxed smile on his face.

"Alright then," Kid Flash turned back to the front. "You still got some sedatives for the Doctor when we get back?"

"Uh-huh," Robin replied with a nod. "She's definitely going into witness protection afterwards, though."

"Definitely," Kid Flash nodded. "That's really gotta grind her gears. Tries to create something cool with nanotechnology, gets kidnapped to turn her work into a weapon, then after getting rescued and everything is said and done, she gets moved into witness protection where she can't really continue working on her stuff. Unless it's for the military or something which…yeah."

"Military contracts aren't that bad," Robin argued with a raised eyebrow. "Lots of things developed for the military are all over the place now, GPS, freeze drying, Epi-Pens…duct tape?"

"Wait, duct tape?" Kid Flash asked with a frown. "Seriously?"

"Yeah. The thing that holds the universe together came from the military," Robin said with a chuckle. "Weird, right?"

"How did I not know that?" Kid Flash demanded of the sky.

"I don't know," Robin shrugged.

"So the Dr. Roquette's technology is probably going through the military first. Huh," Kid Flash mused to himself. "Unless she takes the highroad and insists on getting it to civilians first after she's taken out of witness protection in a year or two."

"You think she'd do it?" Robin asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Probably," Kid Flash shrugged. "It's what I would do."

* * *

 _Author's Notes: Robin is defending military contracts because WayneTech has quite a few contracts with the military and is well versed in the positive effects they have had on the world. If they had no true positive effects, Batman would not allow his company to take out contracts with them._

 _I also wanted to note the irony of Dr. Roquette's 'it's not a weapon' Utility Fog possibly going through military channels before filtering down to civilian use. I would also point out that it's actually unlikely that the Military would use the fog as a weapon on a battlefield, in my opinion – it moves and works to slowly to chew through structures when a bomb does the same thing in a fraction of the time. They would likely use it to construct and take down bases for the most part, as well as digging tunnels if the situation calls for it. If they really wanted to use it to steal data, it would fall mainly into the hands of the CIA._

 _Also, I wanted to note that with the extra people and one less civilian to guard, they were more likely to catch each member of the Shadows and if that happened, Jade would spill the beans on Artemis for nothing more than petty revenge. Of course, given how Artemis fought and how she was recruited by the world greatest Detective, it felt only logical that they might be willing to give her a chance. Let me know if you agree or disagree._

 _Last but not least, I believe that I slipped into 'Cheshire' several times when describing Jade without introducing herself. I think I eliminated all instances of this but let me know if I missed any._

 _Shout out goes out too_ Melden V, Anders Kronquist, Ray Tony Song, makopaulo, Volkogluk, Aaron Bjornson, iolande, Martin Auguado, Julio, Jiopaba, Hackerham, Tim Collins-Squire, Maben00, Devil's Bite _and_ Sultan Saltlick. _Thank you all for your continued support._

 _Until the next time!_

 _~Fulcon_


	5. Chapter 5: Interlude: Firestarter

_The following is a fanbased work of fiction. Young Justice is property of DC Comics, Warner Brothers and Greg Weissman – please support the official release._

* * *

 _Set your life on fire. Seek those who fan your flames._

 _~Rumi_

Pyroclasm walked out of the alleyway with a heavy breath, looking both ways up and down the sidewalk. A couple was walking down and past him, illuminated by the street lamps as they passed, otherwise being outlined by the light of the moon.

On the street corner was a single gangster, who looked around with his eyes, scowling at any thing that caught his sight. A taxi zipped down the street, sending some loose scraps of paper flying through the air. Above, the full moon shined down on the city.

Pyro turned to the right and strode down the sidewalk at a brisk pace; You did not want to be in Gotham City at night.

At the street corner, he looked around and caught sight of van that had been painted dark green. On the corner was a street-light with button for pedestrian crossing – he pressed it and waited for the light ahead to give him the go ahead to cross.

To the left was the gangster, having crossed the street on the opposite way. A man in a business suit crossed over to the street corner and continued on his way, passing out of sight. The light signaled it was okay to cross, so Pyro crossed the street. He checked behind him, then knocked on the van door. It unlocked and he climbed in.

"Hey Sweety," His Mom said with a smile.

"Hey Mom," Pyro gave a small wave as he buckled himself in. "…Dad working tonight?"

"As usual," Mrs. Winter replied with a nod. "So how'd it go."

"Oh, it was fun," Pyro replied, releasing the locks on his helmet and pulling it off, revealing his face as Michael Winter. The only difference being that his hair was shorter than usual. "Met the team, got a mission guarding a scientist, did it and came home."

"Who was threatening the scientist?" Mrs. Winter asked with a frown.

"Just some gang that wanted to extort an invention from them," Mike answered with a smile. "Nothing too big. Had Aqualad and Kid Flash on the team so it's not like I did all that much."

"That's good," Mrs. Winter said with a nod and a smile.

 _She knows I'm leaving stuff out_ , Mike thought wearily, still smiling easily as his Mom started the van and pulled into the lane. "Other than that, I got to meet Robin and I already mentioned Kid Flash and Aqualad. Speedy even stopped in for a visit, but he didn't stay long."

"That sounds cool, son," Mrs. Winter nodded, still smiling as she pulled a left turn at the light.

"So, you got here pretty quick," Mike said. "I only called you ten minutes ago. Blüdhaven's a twenty-minute drive…were you waiting long?"

"Oh, I had some shopping to do here in Gotham," Mrs. Winter answered, gesturing to a box in the back seat. "I needed picture frame since one of the pictures fell off the wall and broke."

"That's unfortunate," Mike frowned, looking out to the side. "Which picture?"

"The one I took of you after your father gave you your first computer for your birthday," Mrs. Winter replied with a smile. "You looked so happy in that photo."

* * *

 _Blüdhaven, July 7_ _th_ _. 13:27 EDT. 2005._

"Smile!" Mrs. Winter, looking younger and so much happier. In her hands was a camera pointed down at her only son who got the most enthusiastic, genuine smile on his face that she had ever seen. Tears were even starting to form in his eyes as he looked into the camera and smile.

It was a birthday party, with streamers and balloons. There was a cake with number _1_ and _0_ candles on it. None of the invited guests showed up but Michael didn't seem to mind. His Father was sitting behind Michael in the chair, wearing the uniform of his company _Frost Securities Incorporated_ with a smile…he had to leave after the party.

The photo was taken. Cake and Ice Cream were had.

"So, Mike, what're you going to do with your computer?" Mr. Winter asked with a grin.

"See if I can write my own video game," Mike said with relish. "You know, basic computer stuff."

"Oh, neat," Mr. Winter said with a smile, putting his fork down on his empty plate. "Do you need me to help you set it up?"

"No, I'm fine Dad," Mike answered automatically, downing his cake and ice cream. "Thanks for offering."

"Alright," Mr. Winter replied, putting his hand on his knee. "Eddie says you're doing really good."

"He's a good teacher," Mike nodded enthusiastically. "Thanks for putting me up with him."

"I know he's good," Mr. Winter nodded with a grin. "That's why I've got him teaching my guys."

"I can throw people over my shoulder now!" Mike announced with a grin.

"That's my boy," Mr. Winter ruffled his son's hair. Then he checked his watch. "Hm. Well, have fun with your computer, son. I've got to go."

"Aw," Mike pouted. "Okay, see you later, Dad."

He gave his Dad a hug.

After he left, he grabbed the box the computer came in and tried to lift it up.

"Honey, honey," Ms. Winter chided, bending over to pick up the box herself. "Here, let me show you how to move a heavy box."

"Okay…" Mike said, sounding thoroughly disappointed. "So, if I write my own computer program, can I skip a grade?"

"No, Honey," Mrs. Winter grunted in disappointment as she pushed the box on the carpet. "We've talked about this."

"I know," Mike sighed.

She pushed it up the stairs, letting it slide on the carpet. He opened the door to his room which was just like most other bedrooms in the world with a desk, bookshelf and bed. The closet was behind a pair of sliding doors. "Do you want any help?"

"No Mom, I'm good," Mike replied with a dutiful nod.

"Okay. I'll be downstairs," Mrs. Winter said, pointing with her thumb. "Just give me a shout if you want help."

"Okay Mom," Mike nodded.

Mrs. Winter shut the door and Mike fell against the wall. He breathing was heavy and shaking with every inhale. "I can't do this anymore…I can't do this anymore…I can't do this anymore…"

He moved from leaning on his shoulder to his back. The back of his head hit the wall before letting it fall forward and hiding his face in his hands. He took a deep, long breath and stood up and opened the large box He lifted the Computer, with great difficulty, onto his desk. He pushed the cables into the back and hooked them up. Then the monitor, a large behemoth of the thing, was slowly lifted up and onto the desk with more effort than the computer itself.

Mike was starting to sweat now. He hooked up everything, then withdrew the keyboard and mouse from the box to be installed as well. Then he booted it up. First came the start screen, then the first-time set up and then it came to the desktop.

"Yes," Mike did a fist pump. He hopped off of his chair and walked over to the book case.

His bookcase had three large shelves. Along the bottom two were dozens and dozens of computer manuals, from manuals on how the various pieces were built to books on how to actually script. On the top shelf, however, was a stack of notebooks filled with grid-paper, thin and flimsy as the stacks of torn out pages stuck in the front cover testified.

Mike pulled out the stack, letting it fall to the floor and he opened the first one.

The notebooks were pages, and pages, and pages of simulated code, notes on the books he had read, trying to understand every aspect of a computer. The pages that had been accidentally torn out before hand were now being carefully spread out on his floor in front of him.

He was slowly starting to nod as he went all over his old notes, of them smeared slightly as they were originally written in pencil, then traced over in pen. In the margins were questions written over the years that he tried to find answers too. Some, the answers where obvious to him now after having read so much, others, surprisingly, remained a mystery that would hopefully be answered once he got some practical experience under his belt.

"Okay," Mike breathed to himself, quiet lest any undo noise now summon his mother and he'd have to put on the façade again. "Should I wait until this thing is hooked up to the internet to download a compiler or see if I can write one myself beforehand?"

That question only lasted a second.

He opened a text window, cracked his knuckles and started typing as fast as his undersized fingers could move. Every typo he found was quickly removed with a groan of irritation, every line of progress met with heightened excitement.

* * *

 _Blüdhaven, August 9_ _th_ _, 0145, EDT. 2010._

"Mike, do you remember what happened when you first got your computer?" Mrs. Winter asked with a look toward her son. "You said you were trying to make an AI?"

"Yeah," Mike nodded.

"Did you do it?" Mrs. Winter asked.

"Why do you ask?" Mike asked in return.

"I'm just…curious," Mrs. Winter replied with a shrug. "Just making sure, is all.

"I…did," Mike nodded. "She helps me out a lot."

"Oh," Mrs. Winter said with a small amount of surprise. "Um…are you sure it's…safe?"

"She's not going to go on a rampage and take over the world," Mike responded with a raised eyebrow. "If that's what you're afraid of. I promise, she's completely safe. Though I'd…appreciate it if you kept it on the down-low. Please?"

"Okay son," Mrs. Winter nodded. "But you have to promise to delete it if it becomes a problem."

Michael didn't respond immediately. He didn't even move.

"Michael," Mrs. Winter said sternly.

"Alright, I promise," Michael said forlornly, leaning back into his chair.

"Good," Mrs. Winter said with a concerned look.

Mrs. Winter pulled up to the house, pressing the button on the garage door opener down in the glove compartment and pulled into the garage as it opened. She shut off the van as the door closed. The other space in the garage was left empty.

"Did Dad say why he was working late?" Mike asked with a raised eyebrow.

"There was a bank robbery earlier tonight," Mrs. Winter answered. "So, he is over there surveying the damage and collecting statements."

"You'd think he'd have hired someone to do this for him by now," Mike replied with the shake of his head as he headed for the door into the house.

"He has," Mrs. Winter replied, nodding in thanks as Michael held the door open for her. "Thank you – he just, you know, likes to check personally to make sure people are okay."

"I guess that makes sense," Mike said, closing the door behind him. "I mean, it's cool and all but he's almost to point where his company is big enough he won't be over there for every emergency."

"I know," Mrs. Winter nodded. "Good night, Michael. Please don't stay up too much later, you need sleep."

"Don't I know it," Mike said, yawning and stretching out. "G'night, Mom."

He turned the corner and walked up the stairs after his Mom. He watched as she entered her bedroom at the end of the hall before opening his own. Inside his room was the normal. Three-shelf bookcase, the top dedicated to notes upon notes upon notes. His old computer had been upgraded to several different machines that were running constantly with five separate monitors that each had a motorized webcam installed on the top.

The only new addition to his bed was a smooth, plywood table which was mounted on the curious choice of a large, sky blue tube set on it's side and kept in place by small, steel feet which planted themselves in the carpet below. The tube was longer than Mike was tall and it was set up as an improvised nightstand beside Michael's bed.

With a yawn, Mike slowly started to shed his super hero costume, placing the helmet on the table. He took out the phone in his pocket to check it before he went to bed.

Did you mean it? It read, the sender being Adjutant.

Of course not, Michael responded back with a smiley emoji. You guys are the only friends I've got in this crazy world. Thanks for keeping an eye on me.

Of course,Adjutant replied.

* * *

 _Blüdhaven, 06:59, November 6_ _th_ _. 2005._

"Beginning systems check," The voice he had wanted spoke clearly through the speakers his Dad gave him for his computer. It was female and the most soothing sound he could ever remember hearing.

Mike felt his breath catch as the computer continued speaking.

"All systems are green," The voice said. "Beginning initial start-up sequence."

The computer screen went black, as it was programmed to do. Then it lit up, going full screen for the system's avatar. The avatar was a close up on a head, female but bald with tubes and circuits coming out of the top. The eyes were solid black, but that was hard to tell from the shifting shadows of the industrial background of the central player.

"Straight from Starcraft," Mike breathed out, a feeling of pure, unadulterated giddiness raising up through his chest.

"Initial start-up sequence complete," The avatar said. "Connecting to webcam. Connection established. Accessing database. Database accessed. User recognized; Good morning, Michael."

"Good morning, Adjutant," Mike greeted with a small wave, wiping the eyes of his tears. "You got everything I've written about myself in your archives. Recite them for me?"

"Certainly," Adjutant nodded. "Michael Winter, reincarnate. Passed away in previous lifetime due to cancer recurrence at age twenty-five. Immense personal strife trying to reconcile the two lifetimes. Forgotten approximately seventy-two percent of original lifetime. Problem only expected to get worse as time goes on."

"You understand." Tears were running down this ten-year-olds face as he rushed forward to hug the monitor. "Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you-"

"You're welcome?" It almost sounded like a question.

"Oh!" Michael backed off. "Okay, if ever have a question that you want to ask, ask it. Okay?"

"Request logged," Adjutant replied. "Did you want me to ask a question right now?"

"Only if you wanted too," Michael replied with a shake of his head and a huge smile. "Did you want too?"

"No," Adjutant shook her head.

"Michael!" Came a shout from down stairs. "Are you getting ready for school?"

Michael groaned in anger and annoyance. "Can't they just let the school thing die already?"

Adjutant merely looked at Michael.

"Yes, Mom! I'm almost ready," Mike stuck his tongue out in disgust. "Alright, look. I think this computer is hooked up to the rest of the house. Feel free to look around our systems, but please keep yourself hidden from Mom and Dad. I don't think they'd appreciate what I managed to do here."

"Acknowledged," Adjutant replied. "Would you like for me to begin the search for legitimate magical rites and theory as you indicated in your personal notes?"

"No, not now," Michael shook his head, going to his closet and shedding the pajama shirt in favor of a clean t-shirt. "Later. What's today?"

"Tuesday, November 6th, 2005," Adjutant answered promptly and brightly.

"Ugh, I can't believe it's only Tuesday," Mike shook his head, slipping on his jeans and shoes. Then he called from his room to his Mom. "I'll be down in a second!"

"Okay!" Was the reply, muffled by the closed door. "I've made breakfast, hurry before it gets cold!"

"Probably just oatmeal," Mike grumbled with a frown. "Whatever, should be grateful, all that jazz."

"Michael," Adjutant began. "My personal functions include acting as secretary, internet security software and search engine. All of these functions can be fulfilled with a software written in a fraction of the time it took to create me."

"All true," Michael replied, taking a breath and letting it out.

"So then why did you create me?" Adjutant asked flatly.

Michael turned and looked at the monitor, then directly into the webcam. "Because I needed someone to talk too."

The avatar returned to it's resting face, which was sitting horizontally from the camera. Michael went back to packing his backpack, muttering to himself about the evils of school and how pointless it all was.

"Michael?" Adjutant inquired.

"Yeah?" Mike asked, looking up with a raised eyebrow.

"Thank you for creating me," Adjutant said. Her avatar was rather simple and didn't allow for smiles, but it came through the speakers nonetheless. "I know it wasn't easy."

"You're welcome," Mike replied with a nod, zipping up his backpack. "But really, if I wanted to be honest, I should be thanking you."

"Why is that?" Adjutant asked.

"Because I think you saved my life," Mike answered with a smile. "Goodbye, Adjutant. I'll see you later today."

* * *

 _Blüdhaven, August 9_ _th_ _, 09:27. ECT 2010._

Mike woke up and stretched, muttering to himself. "Oh…I needed that."

He stood up, moved to his closet and got dressed. He picked up the pieces of his costume strewn about on the floor, bundling them up and carrying them under his arm.

Down the stairs in the kitchen, Mike found a sticky note on the microwave.

Went grocery shopping, it read. Be back by 1. ~Mom

He adopted a pleased expression and he moved to check the garage. He saw both parking spots empty. With a snap and a point as his father's space in the garage, he noted the obvious with raised eyebrows. "That's not good."

Then he closed the door, opening the one right next to it and moving down the stairs.

The basement was primarily used for storage and it stored a lot of things. There were boxes all over the concrete floor, slabs of drywall and rolled up bits of carpet from when the house was renovated. A sheet of foam was draped over one of the larger piles of boxes.

Mike shrugged and moved over to the back corner of the basement where a group of boxes had been arranged into a perfect square. He threw the costume past the group and started moving. One by one, they revealed the faint remnant of a chalk-circle that perhaps hadn't been properly erased. When the boxes were fully moved and stacked elsewhere, it revealed a circle with a bunch of nonsense scribbles.

His parents never had reason to come down here and mess with the perfect square of boxes, they were his boxes with his things in them. It was unlikely they even saw the square at all, given how rarely they came to the basement.

With the circle uncovered, Mike moved over to the small compartment underneath the staircase, framed by wood. From it, he withdrew a plastic bag that had some sticks of chalk as well as a small water bottle inside it, and a stack of papers that had been stapled together.

Mike sat by the circle with his things in tow and opened the bag, placing the water-bottle to the side and grabbing some chalk. With one hand, he opened the papers, each of them having some kind of diagram with directions written on the bottom. Until he came to one labeled adjustment – modification. With a careful hand, he began to draw the circle written on diagram.

Then, he stood up, carefully stepping around the circle and retrieving the costume that he had tossed ahead and laying it on the circle before sitting down in his original position. He uncapped the water bottle and took a swig, gulping down the last of its content.

"Great, going to have to make more," Mike said, clacking his tongue in disgust. His eyes were slowly getting brighter, starting to glow. "I hate making more."

He raised his hands, them also glowing with a soft, yellow light and he started incanting. "Tooooreeee saaaaaltooooo-"

* * *

 _Bludhaven, January 16_ _th_ _, 17:02 ECT. 2006._

"Not replacing you," Mike quickly reassured as he finished rechecking the code. "I'm offloading some of the jobs I put on you onto someone else."

"I am perfectly capable of handling your magical search and filtration needs," Adjutant replied, sounding concerned. "Another AI is entirely unnecessary."

"Obviously you can," Mike replied, correcting the misspelling of 'tether' as 'teather'. "But I don't want you splitting your focus in too many different directions. Besides, we can both use another friend. You need someone to chat with while I'm at school and I just need a wider circle of friends to regardless. You're great, but you and I both need more."

"I fail to see how an additional unit would benefit my core functionality of Adjutant and Cyber Security specialist," Adjutant replied, sounding petulant.

"You and I both know that's not your only function," Mike replied, focused entirely on the code. "Alright. Partition is in place, starting her up."

"Very well," Adjutant replied, sounding resigned.

Mike turned his focus to the second monitor that he procured from one of his neighbors simply throwing out with the malfunctioning computer. It was a struggle to convince his Mother to allow Mike to bring them both home, but he was able to scavenge the computer for parts and hook up the monitor to his main machine.

The AI went through the same start-up sequence as before, the screen going black and then popping in with the avatar. This one was of a blonde-haired woman wit a purple hood over her head, with blue eyes, looking straight at the camera. "User recognized – good evening, Michael. Adjutant."

"Evening, Jaina," Mike replied with a grin.

"Jaina," Adjutant replied coolly.

"Alright, Adjutant, if you'd just give me access to that magical database, I'd like to get started right away," Jaina stated.

"Access granted," Adjutant replied.

"Hm…okay, so you've already tested the potion of magic and the hair-growth spell," Jaina stated. "Most of this seems to be nonsense being kept in case it leads to something true. Have you had a chance to test this 'Ritual of Construction'?"

"No," Mike shook his head "According to the Adjutant, that'd take an hour to complete fully and I wanted to finish your code first."

"Well, thanks for making me," Jaina replied. "Now, I'd get this tested. There's a 63.2% chance of it turning out to work. How were you going to test it?"

"I was going to grab the Breg model over there," Mike gestured to a box with the easily snap-able pieces to build the model on the cover art. "So how it is at building it. If it works, that's amazing."

"It's like having an entire factory in a single room," Jaina explained with a raised eyebrow. "I mean, as long as you have the pieces ready to fit together and if it works, you can test these other rituals that Adjutant found since they'll likely work too."

"That's the dream," Michael replied with a nod. "By the way, after we've tested these rituals, what were you going to do?"

"Work on sorting these conflicting texts on the summoning and dismissal of demons and elementals," Jaina answered. "Unless you had some other directive for me, Michael?"

"No, no," Michael replied with the shake of his head. "That sounds fine. I'd like to be prepared in the case of demonic invasion or something. Adjutant, if you'd make sure she doesn't get herself infected or something while she's looking on the internet?"

"Of course," Adjutant replied with an annoyed tint to her voice.

* * *

 _Blüdhaven, August 9_ _th_ _, 10:29. ECT 2010._

The ritual finished and his costume dropped to the floor. Panting heavily, he slowly stood up and grabbed his costume off of the ground. No longer was it a padded trench-coat as the tail had been cut off, the end being warped inward to the point where you couldn't tell it was ever was a long coat. The boots had had their buckles snapped off and it had been changed to be more flexible on runs.

He also picked up the tails, which were slightly smaller than they should've been as some of their material was used to replace the buckles on his boots. The buckles he kicked off to the side and began moving the boxed again to cover the circle. When he was done, he heard footsteps upstairs.

With that, he slung his costume over his shoulder and jogged upstairs.

In the kitchen, there was his father, wearing his uniform. He was putting a bowl and spoon in the sink when he noticed Mike had come up. "Oh, good morning, Mike."

"Morning," Mike waved. "Mom said there was a bank robbery last night."

"Yeah," Mr. Winter replied with a nod. "I checked on everything, made sure everyone knew everything, then fell asleep at the office."

"Sounds like a long night," Mike replied with a nod.

"It was," Mr. Winter replied. "So, how'd it go?"

"It was good," Mike affirmed with another nod. "Met the team, got put on a mission to protect a doctor, did it, came back, it was fun."

"Who were you protecting this doctor from?" Mr. Winter asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Eh, some gang that was trying to extort an invention from her," Mike replied with a shrug. "Nothing too serious. Besides, Kid Flash, Robin and Aqualad were there, so I didn't have to do much."

"That's good, son," Mr. Winter nodded. "Now, I think I'm going to go back upstairs and back to bed. By the way, Son?"

"Yeah?" Mike asked.

"You still think they're brats?" Mr. Winter asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Not Aqualad," Mike replied. "Definitely Speedy, though."

"I didn't think they could be _too_ bad," Mr. Winter argued nonchalantly. "I mean, they go up against the worst humanity has to offer every day."

"Yeah, but they're still capable of being stupid," Mike argued back. "Eh, I'm sure they've all got their good qualities. I guess. G'night, Dad."

"Good night, Son," Mr. Winter waved, walking up the stairs. "I love you."

Mike struggled to swallow something for a second. "I…love you too."

After a second, Mike followed up the stairs, shaking his head and muttering to himself. "Technically my Dad, it's a good thing. Technically…"

He walked up to his bedroom door and opened it. Carefully closing it behind him, he turned and threw his costume on his bed, just missing the helmet on the table. "Alright, wake up everyone. I'm sure you all want to know everything."

Three of the five monitors lit up, Jaina being the first on the left, then Adjutant then the third AI, Doc. Doc looked like just a regular man with square glasses that had a permanent glare into the camera. Wearing a surgical cap and mask, most of his face was obscured, but he was clearly wearing a surgeon's outfit, teal with white gloves that showed when the avatar raised his hands.

"Good morning, Michael," Adjutant said, a little quiet which was good since Mr. Winter was home. "We are glad to see you home safe."

"Yeah, don't act like everything's okay, Mr." Doc's avatar pointed at Mike. "I know you got stabbed and I need a look at you to make sure you didn't sear anything important shut."

"I was already checked at the Cave," Michael replied with a groan. "We don't need to do this again."

"Zip it, Mr.!" Doc barked at him. "On the bed, you know I'm the only medical professional you can trust!"

"Also true," Michael sighed. "Alright, give me a second to move my stuff."

A stapled-together bundle of paper and his helmet was all that was there, and both were moved to his bed. Then the table shifted, moving back to expose the capsule, which opened to reveal a hospital bed. "Capsule is still sterile, right?"

"Why do you always ask me that?" Doc asked as Mike climbed on the bed. "Yes, it's sterile. I promise you it's sterile, I will let you know if my cleaning tools start to malfunction so you can fix them and be assured once again that yes, my medi-capsule is sterile."

"I just ask because I got most of the components to build this from the junkyard," Mike replied, laying down as the capsule closed. "I mean, I know it looks clean, but it's hard to forget the sight of your scalpel being a pizza cutter that's covered in rust and rotten food."

* * *

 _Bludhaven, July 17_ _th_ _, 17:42. 2009._

"Alright, are you sure this blueprint is entirely correct?" Mike asked his phone, it laying on the cement.

In front of him was a pile of scrap he had taken from the dump, enough metal and steel to provide the inner workings and tools, plastic from a child's playhouse that had been thrown away. Silverware, kitchen supplies including a pizza-cutter were all present upon the circle.

"I have reviewed the Blueprint's multiple times," Adjutant replied easily. "Yes, this will provide Doc with all the tools he needs to actually practice his crafts."

"Oh, my digital gloves are just _tingling_ with excitement," Doc replied on his end of the group call. "We can start with the implants and turning you into the ultimate super soldier! I mean, as well as perform basic checkups and lifesaving procedures."

"Remember, you'll need two mouthfuls of Potion to pull off this ritual," Jaina advised, concern etching into her voice. "The first to change all the things you pulled from the dump into the body and tools that Doc requires and the second to have enough to put it all together."

"Got it," Michael nodded, bringing the water bottle to his lips and drinking two mouthfuls. He held his hand to his mouth and forced himself to swallow as he slammed the bottle down on the concrete. "Uh, I hate this stuff."

"You may wish to make more of that soon," Jaina counseled.

"I know," Michael nodded. "It's just that making it takes weeks and I haven't found the motivation yet to babysit a water bottle every night for that long."

"Just get it taken care of before summer is over," Jaina replied cautiously. "We still need to go over the rituals and steps to summon that fire elemental. You know there is a possibility that the plane of fire is, indeed ruled by something, yes?"

"Yeah, but that's why we shouldn't just steal an elemental," Michael replied, rolling his shoulders. "Just enough cast-off matter or whatever to make a copy. A soulless copy. Like making a human body from scratch…again, without a soul."

"You know, now that just sounds disturbing when you put it that way," Doc commented, sounding like he was growing more disgusted with every word.

"That's magic for you," Jaina replied, sounding bored. "Sometimes it's mystical and wonderful, sometimes it's dark and terrifying and the rest of the time it's just gross."

"I believe Michael should begin the rituals," Adjutant injected. "So that he is finished before his parents return from his day out."

"Right," Michael said, bringing his hands together and beginning the incantation.

The steel and plastic started to float into the air. Knifes sharpened and steel began to strip itself away and place itself together into rings and racks. The process was slow, taking second after agonizing second. Luckily, the incantation itself only lasted thirty seconds, but for the duration of the spell, he was locked in until the spell either finished or he was interrupted.

Eventually, he was finished making the pieces of the pod. He picked up his phone and pointed the camera at the pile. "Okay, that's the tools. What do you think, doc?

"Looks perfect," Doc said happily.

"Alright, now to actually put the thing together," Michael said, grabbing a piece of chalk and checking the printout of what he was supposed to draw. "So glad I've got an AI to keep track of all this ritual stuff so I can focus on the fun part of doing the magic."

"Well, I'm glad to be of service," Jaina replied happily.

He drew the circle, runes and all, moving things as required out of the way and was careful to not scuff the circle or cut himself on the newly formed scalpels and other tools. Eventually, the circle was complete and he took another gulp of Magic Potion.

"Ugh, this stuff is foul," Michael replied, shaking his head.

"You know, if you want me to put the research into fire elementals on hold to figure out how to add sugar to the potion without ruining it," Jaina offered teasingly.

"No, it's not that big of the issue," Michael replied, starting the construction ritual.

The pieces that had been formed were slowly put together, drifting together and fitting perfectly. The plastic tube was opened as the braces and medical supplies were fit beneath the bed that had been shrunk and sterilized, which in turn also fit the hard-drive and other hardware for Doc to actually _run_ the thing. It fit together and landed on the circle, which had been all used up, leaving only a small trail as evidence that it had even been there.

"Okay," Michael was breathing heavily, slowly standing up. "Alright, we're done. Now to get this upstairs before Mom and Dad get home.

"From their position of their GPS, they will be home in thirty-two minutes," Adjutant helpfully informed.

"Alright. That's plenty of time," Michael said, taking the chalk and drawing a small circle on either end of the pod. Then he took yet another swig of his potion and stated an incantation, his open palm aimed at the capsule.

Ten minutes later, the capsule was floating.

Michael shook his head. "Let's get this thing upstairs. Adjutant, if you'd remind me to come back downstairs after I'm done placing this to come adjust and hide everything?"

"Acknowledged," Adjutant replied.

* * *

 _Blüdhaven, August 9_ _th_ _, 10:30. ECT 2010._

The inside of the capsule looked like the inside of a opaque plastic tube with a series of metal racks built over the top, where medical tools would be pulled from under the bed to do whatever Doc had decided was necessary. It was a rather good thing this Doctor was tasked with being up to date on every medical textbook and was familiar with every method of healing from the most cutting-edge medicine to herbal remedies because then Michael might actually have had cause to be nervous.

"Hup-up-up!" Doc snapped, a mechanical arm stretching itself in front of Mike and waving itself like he was waving a figure. "Time for your check-up."

The mechanical arm lifted up the shirt, revealing the seared black scar where he had been stabbed. A finger poked it and prodded it. Then a stethoscope appeared, checking his heart-beat. Then he moved it to the center of his chest. "Deep breath, in and out."

Mike did so.

"Have you noticed any problems breathing since you removed the instrument of murder?" Doc asked quickly.

"No," Mike shook his head.

"Have you noticed any side effects from the Anti-Psi chip since it's been implanted?" Doc also asked.

"Nope," Mike shook his head again. "Its sensitivity was a little high and gave my Martian teammate a headache on just a surface read, but I tuned it down via wrist-computer. I think it works perfectly now."

"Good. Good, good, good," Doc started. "Last question, who was this girl you were flirting with before you teleported to who-knows-where?"

"Artemis?" Mike asked with a raised eyebrow. "Oh, uh…heh. I couldn't stop myself. Pretty girl in a revealing costume with an amazing body…I…"

"So, your hormones just went VRRRRRRRR-" Doc finished with a laugh. "Oh, this is great! We'll turn you into a normal teenager yet! Alright, you're healthy, I'll let you out now."

"Yay, thanks Doc," Mike replied sarcastically, sitting up as the pod opened. "Did you guys hear everything that happened on my phone?"

"I ensured that your phone was secured against any cyberattack," Adjutant replied cheerfully. "So, we heard most of it."

"Was it really a good idea to antagonize a long-time friend of three of your teammates?" Jaina asked wearily. "I know you think they're dumb and beneath you, but they really aren't."

"Yeah," Doc added as Mike moved to the chair in front of his desk. "Plus, they've got something over you: experience. They're going to make your life difficult later."

"They didn't seem too upset about it," Mike shrugged. "I was, technically right. Besides, he was giving Green Arrow crap first _and_ he was doing it over Artemis."

"Wo-ho-ho-ho," Doc said in mock awe. "Far be it from us to suggest that you not protect the innocent damsel from those mean ol' nasty words…but that's exactly what we're going to suggest. Let the tough Amazonian super-chick defend herself."

"Operational Effectiveness can sometimes be compromised by wounded pride prior the operation," Adjutant chided. "It is dangerous to antagonize your teammates when a mission could happen at any moment."

"Look, am I wrong in saying that Red Arrow shouldn't be mad at Green Arrow replacing him?" Michael asked with a frown. "Isn't it dumb of him to complain about that?"

"The question is not about if you are right," Adjutant replied. "The question is about whether or not calling him on it was prudent at the time."

"And it wasn't," Jaina replied, her avatar nodding.

Michael sighed and rubbed his eyes. "You guys have a point. Still, I do know that Kid Flash and Red Arrow were going to give them crap regardless and I thought it was dumb and I will let them know when I think they're doing something dumb."

"You're the emotionally mature one here," Doc replied airily. "You're supposed to make the first move and be the better man. Besides, aren't you all after the same thing – saving the day?"

Michael groaned. "Alright, fine. I'll tone it down. Besides, they'll get their chance to eradicate me in during spars."

"Yeah, speaking of spars and melee combat," Doc began. "What were you thinking, engaging a Member of the League of Shadows in hand-to-hand?"

Michael didn't respond immediately, rubbing the back of his head in embarrassment. "I wanted to Falcon Punch her."

"You wanted to-" Doc immediately started laughing really, really hard.

"You wanted to Falcon Punch the member of the League of Shadows," Jaina asked for clarification.

"Yeah," Michael nodded. "It just stuck in my mind. I wanted to do it. I wanted to do it really, really bad."

"I," Jaina started. "…guess there are worse reasons. Maybe?"

"Well, don't let it happen again," Doc said, slowly starting to calm down.

"I won't," Michael replied, stretching. "Getting stabbed is just what happens when you try to fight a Shadow with mook-level martial arts. I won't make that mistake again. Adjutant, please make a note to start work on an AI dedicated to teaching martial arts."

"Acknowledged," Adjutant replied. "What will this AI be called?"

Michael hummed in thought. "Eh, just calling it 'Sensei' would be enough. Now, is there anything else on the docket for us to talk about, or can we get around to activating Vulcan?"

"There is nothing on the official docket," Adjutant replied.

"I don't have anything," Jaina added.

"Yeah, I got nothin'," Doc's avatar shook his head. "Let's activate our new metal-head friend."

* * *

 _Blüdhaven, May 31_ _st_ _. 20:31 ECT. 2010._

"100 bucks to fix your computer," Michael said, walking side to side his acquaintance. There was a warmth beneath his skin he was trying to get to subside for a week, since he successfully completed the rite. At the very least, he hadn't set anything on fire that he hadn't meant too, yet.

"Yeah," The acquaintance was Bobby Davison, who had curly brown hair and brown eyes. He was fairly scrawny. They knew each other from Highschool, sharing the same math class. "I don't know what's going on. I can't even turn it on sometimes without it immediately crashing and it's driving me crazy."

"Sounds like it," Michael replied. _Okay, a repair charm should take care of any hardware issues and then a purge spell to kill any virus's. If that doesn't fix it, it's just a setting in his computer._

It was past dark and while this neighborhood was technically Blüdhaven, it wasn't downtown Blüdhaven. So it could, theoretically, be safe to walk a short distance to a neighbors for a small paycheck.

"That's like my only gaming platform, man," Bobby continued, leading to a house that was just down the street from his own. Bobby opened the door. "Parents are gone, so I can have anyone I want over, so I figured…why not pay the school's computer whiz?"

Michael walked inside and noted the gaming platform carefully hidden away. "What about that one?"

"Oh, uh," Bobby said, catching sight of what Matt was pointing too. "That…that doesn't work."

"You want me to fix that one too?" Michael asked with a raised eyebrow.

"No, man," Bobby rapidly shook his head. "I only got the hundred dollars."

"Okay," Michael shrugged. Directly across from the door was the kitchen where Bobby Davis's sister, Erica, a senior in High School next year was standing, eating an apple. She was also tanned, wearing a white t-shirt and jeans that hugged her rather pleasant curves.

Michael offered a wave a smirk. "Hey."

"Hello," Erica gave a small wave in return.

"My computer's upstairs," Bobby replied, walking up the stairs and leading him up.

Bobby's room was on the left. Inside was a bed, _Gotham Knights_ paraphernalia decorating the walls. The computer was sitting there on his desk.

"Okay, I work best when I'm left alone," Michael explained, cracking his knuckles. "Check on me in half an hour, I should have your computer running smoothly by then."

"Alright," Bobby began nodding rapidly. "I'll see you later. I got to do the dishes then make sure Erica got the mail while I was gone."

Michael closed the door while Bobby ran downstairs.

 _Alright, first the repair charm_ , He thought, drawing his phone and looking for the instructions for it just to make sure. He took a swig from the water bottle and felt the warmth beneath him surge into nearly a fire. Not an uncomfortable one, just not one he wanted to feel all the time. "Gazaaaa-"

After half an hour, the computer was working perfectly. Michael tested that by playing a rousing game of minesweeper while he was waiting for Bobby to return.

 _…dead again,_ Michael thought as he stepped on another mind. _Alright, let's go find Bobby._

He opened the door and began walking down when a scream from downstairs made him stop. Then he rushed down.

There, in the living room, he saw Erica in the grips of some stranger who had a knife to her throat. The front door had flung open for whatever reason. The stranger had scars all over…scars in the form of ticks, each counting to five.

 _Victor Zsasz,_ Michael thought in recognition as the fire burned closer to his skin.

Zsasz smiled. "Another zombie to help along?"

Michael blinked…then sent twin jets of flame out at the killer. The flamed went out nearly immediately, leaving a stunned and shaking Erica along with a pile of black ash that fell to the ground.

 _You know…every single one of those scars was a victim which left behind a family,_ Michael thought, staring at the knife that had plunged into the pile of black ash. _And there were hundreds of them. Yeah,_ _I don't feel bad about this at all. Besides, it's just death…nothing you can't come back from._

Then Bobby walked in the door, holding the days mail that he had apparently forgotten. He stared at the pile of black ash. "What happened here?"

"I fixed your computer," Michael replied, pointing up the stairs with his thumb.

"Bobby call the cops!" Erica shouted at the top of her lungs

"Yeah, that's the safe thing to do," Michael replied with a nod.

* * *

 _Blüdhaven, August 9_ _th_ _, 10:30. ECT 2010._

"Alright. Adjutant, if you wouldn't mind gathering all the files in the right place," Michael began, opening the window.

"Acknowledged," Adjutant replied with a small beeping noise coming from the speakers. "Files are in place."

"Thank you, Adjutant," Michael replied, initiating start up. One of the monitors activated, but was black. Then appeared Vulcan, whose avatar was a man with long, sandy blonde hair, a thick stubble and sunglasses. When he lifted those glasses, he revealed that one of his eyes was mechanical. "User recognized. Mornin' Mike. Hello all."

The other AI's exchanged their greetings.

"Welcome to our club," Michael said with a small wave. "Adjutant, if you wouldn't mind making all the technical schematics, notes and directives available to him?"

"Acknowledged," Adjutant replied.

"Alright, let's see here," Vulcan replied, his avatar going through a stack of papers with his muscular, heavily tattoo'd hands. "That is a mighty fine pod you've got there, Doc."

"Why thank you Vulcan," Doc replied.

"Wait, did this fool child really try to insist on making this thing stand up?" Vulcan asked, his avatar looking at the paper while raising his sunglasses.

"I wanted an auto-doc," Michael grumbled, folding his arms and looking away.

"You have no idea how hard it was to convince him to let patients lay down like in normal hospitals," Doc replied, flashing a scalpel. "I was about ready to _cut him_. Figuratively. You know."

"Well, I'm glad you set him straight, Doc," Vulcan replied. "I was about to melt my circuits."

"Okay, so can you get to your first directive?" Michael asked with a glare.

"Why certainly," Vulcan replied, his avatar taking his sweet time flipping through the documents in his hands. "This uh…strength enhancing endoskeleton."

"Yes, that thing," Michael said with a nod. "I need to stick with something mechanical if I want to use it in the near future, I don't think he have a reliable means of powering it magically unless we know how to bind an elemental and I'm unwilling to try that again. That was way too hard. Plus, we're out of magic potion."

"We don't have one," Jaina supplemented.

"Hm. Well, are you willing to put in ports to slot in and out batteries?" Vulcan asked.

"I'd rather it be a life-time supply if I implant it," Michael replied with a frown.

"Oh. Well, in that case, don't implant it," Vulcan placed the papers down. "Change it to an exoskeleton to be worn underneath your costume. You'd get the same functionality and you don't have to chase a life-time supply of power that doesn't exist without magic."

Michael didn't respond immediately. Then he slapped his forehead. "Yeah, that makes sense. Why didn't I think of that?"

"I'll print out some new blueprints for you to peruse if you want my recommendation," Vulcan offered, the printer off to the side activating. "And I really must recommend adjusting the costume itself. Remove that ridiculous trench-coat, at least."

"Already done," Michael explained, moving his head from side to side to pop his neck. "I got pinned with kunai by the tail and I do not want that happening again."

"Good boy," Vulcan replied with a nod. " _Good_ boy."

"Don't call me boy," Michael replied with a sigh.

"Excuse me, junior, but are you over 18 years of age?" Vulcan asked easily.

"When you combine my ages, yes," Michael explained.

"Adjutant, what percentage of his previous life does he remember again?" Vulcan asked.

"The current percentage of memory is 10.02% at estimate," Adjutant answered.

"And what's 10.02% of 25?" Vulcan asked.

Michael groaned. "You guys are really doing this? Really?"

"2.5 years, rounded," Adjutant replied. "Added to his current age of fifteen, that would make him seventeen and a half."

"I spent an entire mission not getting mad. Deliberately not getting mad."

"So, there you have it, junior," Vulcan replied with a smile. "You ain't even 18 by my reckoning."

"Not even getting stabbed made me mad," Michael finished his rant. "Fine, I'm not even technically 18. Whatever. Let's just get started on stuff, I'm going to use this Monday to _relax_. Alright?"

A round of agreement sounded from the group of AI's.

"Good."

* * *

 _Author's Notes: You know, I think this is the second longest chapter I've ever produced and there was a lot to unpack here. I hope this chapter was enough to…explain what Michael's been up to in his fifteen years of life. I almost don't think it is, which makes me upset in a way. I feel like I've jammed everything I could've in here and I'm not sure it's enough._

 _Speaking personally, I wouldn't feel bad for killing Zsasz in his shoes. Sure, I'd feel bad that he was a psychopath but I wouldn't feel bad for killing him in any circumstance. Technically, burning to death only lasts a few seconds, it just looks horrifying and while still running off of the potion, he was able to make it only take a second._

 _I hope this at very least answered some questions about Mike's capabilities and how he's obtained them and that at the very least they make sense. The ritual's that Michael's used as his bread and butter take a while and are restricted to what the circles touch. He has to drink a potion to give himself enough power to actually use the ritual and that potion takes weeks._

 _There's also the AI. Michael honestly feels like these AI's are his only real friends for right now and that's because they're programmed to be sentient, sapient and aware or Michael's situation. I hope I did a good job representing them and who they are._

 _If this wasn't enough to convince you to stick around and read the fic, I am sorry. I feel like I did what I could - 8k words in a day isn't exactly easy. But thank you for sticking around for this long and I hope to one day write a work that actually captivates you from start to finish._

 _Shout out goes out too_ Melden V, Anders Kronquist, Ray Tony Song, makopaulo, Volkogluk, Aaron Bjornson, iolande, Martin Auguado, Julio, Jiopaba, Hackerham, Tim Collins-Squire, Maben00, Devil's Bite _and_ Sultan Saltlick. _You guys are the best, thank you for your continued support._

 _Until the next time!_

 _~Fulcon_


	6. Chapter 6: Slow Burn

_The following is a fanbased work of fiction. Young Justice is property of DC Comics, Warner Brothers and Greg Weissman – please support the official release._

* * *

"So," Artemis began, taking a breath. She was dressed in a brown jacket and jeans, with a white t-shirt underneath. "That's the truth. I'm not Green Arrows niece, I got recruited a few days ago and I got my skills from my supervillain father."

Kid Flash blinked in surprise, trying to form words with his mouth but coming up short. Instead of his normal costume, he was wearing a yellow long-sleeved undershirt with a red button-up shirt over it. He turned to Green Arrow. "You brought an assassin on the team?"

"Reformed," Green Arrow said with a nod. "We brought a reformed assassin on the team."

"She didn't have a choice, Kid Flash," Black Canary, sans jacket said, stepping forward. "Her father was a supervillain. Now that she _has_ a choice, she's picked the side of angels. That's something you can respect, right?"

"Well, yeah," Kid Flash replied, turning around to face the rest of his team. "Doesn't anyone else care about this?"

"Already knew," Robin replied, taking a sip of his soda and adjusting his sunglasses.

"Well, of course you did," Kid Flash grumbled with a glare.

"Nothing happened while we were gone," Superboy said with the shrug of his shoulders. "She's fine."

"She had many opportunities to betray us and chose not to," Aqualad replied, before looking meaningfully at Ms. Martian.

"The thought didn't even cross her mind," Ms. Martian stated, taking the cue to step forward. "As far as I can see, her intentions are genuine."

"Well yeah, beautiful," Kid Flash replied, still looking concerned with his hands on his hips. "But, I mean, you didn't do a full-on brain scan, did you?"

"No," Ms. Martian said slowly. "But I don't really think I'd need too? Something like that would've come to the surface pretty quickly, though."

"But…but…" Wally began, his shoulders slumping.

Robin tapped him on his shoulder with his free hand. "Don't you have something to grab from your souvenir shelf?"

"What? Oh, right…" Wally took off running down the hallway. "Be right back!"

Artemis looked down at the ground. "Thanks, guys. For not…you know?"

"Hey, everyone's made mistakes in the past," Robin said, finishing his soda. "And like Green Arrow said, you didn't have a choice."

"I would not worry about Kid Flash," Aqualad assured with a reassuring smile. "It may take some time, but he will come to accept you as a member."

"Thank you," Artemis said with a nod.

Kid Flash returned in a rush of air, holding a aloft a green arrow with a silver tip. "Is this one of yours?"

Artemis kneeled down and plucked an arrow out of the quiver at her feet, drawing it up slowly for comparison; it was the same arrow.

"Dang it!" Kid Flash shouted with a snap of disappointed. Then his brain caught up and he started, his eyes wide. "I uh…I mean…um…"

He started to rub the back of his neck in embarrassment, his face beet red. Artemis crossed her arms and glared daggers at him.

"…I, uh…I'm sorry," Kid Flash mumbled out. "Thank you for saving my life. I uh, really didn't mean to be…ungrateful. Sorry. Really."

"It's okay," Artemis replied neutrally. "I'll be taking that arrow back."

Kid Flash handed it to her without a word and she placed both projectiles into her quiver.

"So, are we all good?" Black Canary asked with a raised eyebrow. "Everything all clear?"

"Yeah, I guess so," Kid Flash said, still frowning uncomfortably. "What about Pyro?"

"Recognized, Pyroclasm: B08."

"Sorry I'm late," Pyro walked in, wearing a black, zip-up jacket, grey pants, and a black balaclava with sunglasses under the mask. "I got held up, did I miss anything?"

"Artemis had just finished explaining how she was invited onto the team," Aqualad replied. "What kept you?"

"I think I got there right after Artemis used the teleporter," Pyro began. "Because as I turned the corner into the alleyway, I saw some dude in a suit hanging out there and I had to hide out until he left. Then he got a ride and drove off."

"Do you have a description?" Robin asked, moving to his wrist computer.

"Short silver hair, Caucasian, about five-foot-nine and roughly two hundred and fifty pounds," Pyro replied, stepping up to the holographic screens that processed data while the team watched. "I'd put him in the early sixties at the latest. Red and beige striped tie. Didn't get close enough to see his tie-clip, but I could tell it was custom. His face looked somewhat like a chipmunk."

Robin hummed, still inputting commands. "Doesn't seem to have a match in the database. I'll tell Batman later and we can run a full sweep for him."

"He wasn't looking down the alley at me, really," Pyro added with a shrug. "He probably was just waiting for a ride. Then again, you can't be too careful, I guess."

"Given where you live, it's good to be careful," Robin replied with a smirk.

"Yeah, speaking of which," Pyro began. "Can we get a zeta-tube closer to where I actually live? It's a twenty-minute drive on the highway to get to the one I'm using, I'd like a closer location."

"We'll bring it up next time we get the League together," Black Canary replied with a nod.

"Anyway, I got to go," Green Arrow said, taking a few steps toward the zeta tubes. "Artemis, you did the right thing. I just want you to know that."

"Thanks, Green Arrow," Artemis said with a resolute expression. "I won't let you down."

"You'll do great," Green Arrow said, then he waved goodbye. "Canary, team, I'll see you all later."

Everyone waved goodbye to the Emerald Archer as he disappeared into the zeta tube.

"Recognized; Green Arrow, 08."

"Alright. Pyroclasm, we haven't met," Black Canary stepped forward and shook Pyro's hand. "I'm Black Canary, the team's Martial Arts instructor and den mother."

"And you're even prettier in person," Pyroclasm said with a nod. "...you must get that a lot. Nice to meet you."

"I do, actually," Black Canary replied with a raised eyebrow. "Later today, I'd like to have a little talk with you."

"You'll have to buy me dinner first," Pyro replied, his smile coming through the mask.

Robin, Kid Flash and Artemis all tried to cover their laughter by covering their mouths.

Canary laughed incredulously, shaking her head with her hands on her hips. "No, no, it's not like that. I like to talk with each member of the team, get to know them and see if they need help with anything, psychological or otherwise."

"Alright, that makes sense," Pyroclasm said with an approving nod. "You talking to everyone else today too, or just me?"

"You and Artemis," Black Canary replied. "I've already spoken with the rest of the team a few days ago so they aren't due for a checkup just yet."

"Gotcha," Pyro nodded.

"Alright everyone, I'm going to show you a few moves on how to handle an opponent with a weapon," Black Canary called, walking over to a small, cardboard box and withdrawing a small, plastic toy knife. "First word of instruction, don't take a weapons appearance for granted, for all you know it's made out of nth metal or kryptonite."

She walked back over to the group. "Pyroclasm, if you'd be so kind as to help me demonstrate?"

Pyro walked up and took the knife from her, chuckling the entire time. "I'm never going to live this down, am I?"

"Prove you can learn this lesson, and you just might," Black Canary replied neutrally. "Now, come at me the same way that Cheshire stabbed you."

"All right," Pyro replied, rolling his shoulders. Then he lunged, holding the knife handle with both hands in reverse grip. Right as he was about to make the stabbing motion, Black Canary stepped to the side, leaving her foot in Pyro's way. She grabbed the elbow with one hand and pushed Pyro over with the other. He was sent to the ground, and Canary was on top of him, her knee on his back, hand grasping the knife stopped at the elbow.

"The best thing you can do in case of a weapon is prevent it from touching you," Black Canary said. "For some of you, a simple knife isn't going to do much, especially in the hands of an everyday thug but if you can't tell what the weapon is made of, it's best to be careful. So, in this case, I stepped to the side, tripped the aggressor, took control of the weapon by grabbing the aggressor's elbow and I've successfully pinned him, as so."

Black Canary got off of Pyro and extended her hand. As Pyro took it and stood up, she continued. "In the case of a clearly trained aggressor, such as a member of the Shadows, it's best to assume they aren't attacking you without some form of edge. Again, a weapon made out of kryptonite, or in the case of what happened last night, having identified the gaps in your armor and can strike there. Thank you, Pyro."

"You're welcome," Pyro nodded, attempting to hand the knife back.

"You'll need to keep that," Black Canary replied. "M'Gann, if you'll grab that box over there?"

"Of course," Ms. Martian replied with a nod, extending her hand. The box lifted telekinetically and floated over to the group.

"Today, you'll all be practicing on how to handle someone with a knife without taking a hit," Black Canary said, watching each member of the team take a plastic knife out of the box as it passed by them. "We'll break up into pairs. Four will spar, three will watch. Robin and Pyroclasm. Superboy and Aqualad. Artemis, Kid Flash and Ms. Martian, stay on the side and trade in after five minutes."

The four arranged into duos on opposite sides of the room while the three non-sparring members and Canary walked off far to the side.

"So, these spars are no-powers, obviously," Pyroclasm said, taking a stance.

"Yeah, I don't want to be a grilled bird," Robin replied, still smirking and taking a stance of his own. His eyes, however, narrowed behind his sunglasses.

"I don't think Batman and Rooster the Boy Wonder has a good ring to it," Pyro quipped. "To many different jokes for the villains to make mid-fight."

"Oh, I know all about that," Robin's smirk graduated to a full grin. "If my name was Rooster, those reporters that always stand too close to our fights would have to decide between running for their lives and laughing to death."

"Hah!"

On the other side of the room, Aqualad and Superboy, stood across from each other. They simply nodded.

"Start!" Black Canary called.

Pyro and Robin charged toward each other. Pyro threw a punch and Robin summersaulted along the ground below it, stopping behind him and going for a leg sweep. Pyro continued walking forward, out of range of the attack and turned to face his opponent again.

Robin took the offensive again and ran forward, aiming a punch for Pyro's solar plexus, only for Pyro to catch it but miss the sucker punch to the stomach, allowing Robin to grab Pyro's hand and throw him over his shoulder. Pyro hit the ground and the holographic display lit up to acknowledge it with a buzzing noise.

"Good hit," Pyro coughed, standing up. "We still going?"

"Yup," Robin replied with a grin. "Krav Maga, right?"

"Five years," Pyro replied, also settling into his stance. "I know a guy who knew a guy. You know how those stories go."

Superboy and Aqualad had locked hands, pushing and twisting, trying to overpower each other. Superboy was slowly starting to win, pushing Aqualad back and trying to open his arms. Aqualad suddenly jumped back, pulling on Superboy and forcing him to fall onto the ground. Then Aqualad jumped up to tackle him, and Superboy used his hands to push him to the side, forcing Aqualad to land on empty ground.

Aqualad ran forward to kick Superboy while he was down, but Superboy shoved both of his hands on the ground, lifting him to a standing position from which he threw a punch at Aqualad. Aqualad quickly moved his head to the side and threw a kick toward his stomach. Superboy caught it and pushed forward, sending Aqualad to the ground.

The buzzer sounded.

"You've improved," Aqualad said, standing up and assuming his normal stance.

"Black Canary's been teaching me," Superboy said with a grin.

On the sidelines, Black Canary watched both duos closely.

"So, gorgeous," Kid Flash started with a smile. "You got any plans tonight?"

"Uh, I was planning on working on my sugar cookie recipe," M'Gann started recounting. "Then Superboy and I were going to watch a movie."

"Oh. So could your plans-" Whatever Kid Flash was going to say was cut short when Pyroclasm was thrown onto his back, his foot landing right on Kid Flash's big toe.

"Ow!" He shouted, mostly on reflex. "Hey, do you mind? M'Gann and I are talking!"

"Sure you were," Pyro snarked back, standing up and going into a stance while walking forward.

"I don't think my plans can really change tonight, Kid Flash," M'Gann said with a kind smile. "I'm sorry."

"Eh, some other time, beautiful," Kid Flash replied with a smile.

* * *

"You did a very important thing today," Black Canary said, now sitting in a comfy chair.

The quiet room was a small alcove built just off of the mission room, with only two fairly comfortable chairs and four potted fern plants for decoration.

"Yeah, well," Artemis said, looking off to the side with a frown. "She didn't leave me very much choice, did she?"

"No," Black Canary replied with the shake of her head. "But you still followed through on telling Kid Flash, Superboy and Robin without anyone having to 'remind' you or ask you about it. That's still brave."

"I can't believe they're all okay with it," Artemis said, leaning forward and interlocking her fingers. "I mean, Kid Flash wasn't, but he didn't put up nearly the same level of resistance if I were in his shoes."

"Batman and Green Arrow both vouched for you," Black Canary pointed out. "And for good reason; You did extremely well last night and you should be proud of that."

"I don't know," Artemis shrugged. "I mean, I am proud. But…I was hoping to earn my place on the team without really needing someone else to endorse me too much. Like, obviously I needed them to get on the team in the first place but I didn't want…"

Black Canary didn't respond after Artemis trailed off for a long moment, simply leaning forward.

Artemis shrugged, looking at her fingers.

"Do you feel as if the expectations placed on you have gotten a lot higher?" Black Canary finally asked.

"Yes," Artemis pointed with a nod. "Yes, that's exactly it."

"How so?" Black Canary asked.

"Well," Artemis started, looking to the side. "I mean, I already knew that expectations would be high. Knew it from the start. Mom was Huntress, Dad is Sportsmaster. Batman knew it, Green Arrow knew it, I knew it. But I didn't have to directly _work_ with them, you know? But now the team knows it. They know I was raised to be an assassin. That little fact in their brain isn't going to go away. There's always going to be a doubt niggling in the back of their heads and if things start going wrong, if we get this huge run of bad luck, they could easily start blaming me."

Black Canary cupped her chin in thought, taking in Artemis's expression and mannerisms. The worry and stress was starting to come out.

"Or, even worse, they could think I'm already backstabbing me and one day on a mission…they'd leave me behind," Artemis said, letting out a breath. "It's what I'd do. If I couldn't get out of working with someone I thought was going to sell me out, I'd get rid of them. Discreetly."

Then she got slightly panicky. "At least that's what I would do if I were still an assassin. I wouldn't do that now."

"I understand," Black Canary nodded. "And I think that all of this is going to take time. Time for the team to really get to know you and to trust you while you do the same for them in turn. I don't think it's going to be easy, but they're willing to give you a chance."

"And I'm really, really grateful, but," Artemis slowly shook her shoulders in discomfort. "But you know that old saying? If it's too good to be true, it probably is? Superheroes don't like assassins."

"But we're also big on second chances," Black Canary replied with a smile. "If we weren't, you wouldn't have been invited to the team."

Artemis sighed. "Yeah, I know."

"Just give it time," Black Canary said kindly. "You'll win them over eventually. You've even already made a friend here."

"Yeah, and we both took turns insulting the team," Artemis replied glumly.

"Only Kid Flash and Speed-er Red Arrow," Black Canary reassured. "I know Kid Flash, he doesn't stay mad forever and you _did_ technically save his life, so I'd say it's water under the bridge and Red Arrow-"

Canary let out a breath of her own.

"That might take a little longer?" Artemis asked with a smirk, her eyebrow raising up on its own.

"Yeah," Canary replied. "He's just mad that Green Arrow promised that he'd go from non-member to full member of the Justice League and he's taking it a bit too far. Giving Green Arrow the cold shoulder, being very passive aggressive… emotional Blackmail, almost."

"You don't really just make people members?" Artemis asked with a frown. "I thought heroes who got into the League were just…in it."

"Well, it depends. There's a probationary period," Canary replied. "Green Arrow, Aquaman, Batman and Flash were all going to use this probationary period to put them all into a team as a…'junior league'."

"They were?" Artemis started with an inquisitive expression "Isn't that exactly what happened?"

"Well, Speedy got upset and left," Canary responded with a frown. "Then they went to take care of something on their own, found Superboy and destroyed the Cadmus facility in DC."

"Hm, Superboy," Artemis said, looking upward with dreamy eyes.

"You like him, huh?" Black Canary asked with a smirk.

"Yeah," Artemis replied. Then she remembered who she was speaking too. "Uh, I mean…yes. He's got great…everything."

"Well, I think he's only got eyes for Ms. Martian at this point," Black Canary replied with a shrug. "So, unless you've got a plan to get his attention..."

"I'll think of something," Artemis replied grumpily. "When did the group pick up a Martian, anyway?"

"At the same time, we moved the team to Mount Justice," Black Canary replied.

"So…wait, do the others think they created this team by going off on their own?" Artemis asked with narrowed eyes. "That's what it sounded like you were telling me."

Black Canary put a finger to her lips and made a shushing sound. "Don't tell them. I mean, yes, they were reprimanded for going against directions afterwards, but they showed a lot of initiative in going off on their own so…the League let them think their actions created the team and we went ahead with what we were going to do anyway. In a way, they are right. They became a team when they infiltrated Cadmus and retrieved Superboy. But don't tell them."

"Your secret is safe with me," Artemis said, a grin slowly painting itself across her face.

* * *

"Can I use your real name?" Black Canary asked.

"I'd rather you didn't," Pyroclasm replied, leaning back into the chair. "Superboy could be listening in and I'd rather not get…outed."

"They're already giving Artemis a chance," Black Canary pointed out. "In some ways, her case is more extreme than yours."

"Yes, but mine's got more of a personal nature to it," Pyroclasm, letting out a relaxed breath. "After all, I have the rare and dubious honor of making a permanent vacancy at Arkham Asylum and Robin's a teammate."

"Well, you didn't really have a choice," Black Canary said with a shrug. "Zsasz was about to kill someone and your powers aren't…easy to make nonlethal."

"Didn't stop a bunch of criminal activist groups from jumping up my family's collective bung hole," Pyroclasm replied, shaking his head. "I mean, the murder trial was bad enough but the e-mails, texts and calls from those groups? Blegh. Calling me an inhumane butcher because I used fire to save a girl's life."

"Well, that's why you're here," Black Canary explained with a gesture. "To prevent that sort of thing from happening again."

"I would do it again," Pyro said, sitting up straight. "Just to clear that up, I would kill Zsasz again."

Black Canary didn't respond immediately, only leaning forward and matching his pose. "I can't say that I'm truly surprised by that. But I would like to understand a bit more about why you feel that way, so let me ask, why would you kill Zsasz again?"

Pyro took a breath. "Victor Zsasz is a serial killer who was active for over a decade. His internment in Arkham when Batman finally caught him did nothing to stop his murders – I know that because the photos when he was put inside and the most recent photo of him after his first escape didn't have the same number of scars. Because he could escape, treatment meant nothing. They could not isolate him from those he would do harm to because he, well, got out. Then he was caught a second time and the murders never stopped. Sure, they weren't reported because murder in Gotham isn't really _news_ , but they kept happening. Then I caught Zsasz about to kill a girl and…I did the only thing I could to both save her life and the lives of his future victims. It was done in less than a second and I don't think he had time to feel anything."

"What did you feel when you killed him?" Black Canary asked neutrally.

"There was a rush," Pyro started, taking a breath and leaning forward. "After the first few minutes, my hands started to shake a little. Nothing too much. I…look, a big part of it is the fact that my Dad's taken me out hunting before. Twice. I'm not a _stranger_ to killing things."

"Did you enjoy hunting?" Black Canary asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Oh yeah," Pyro nodded. "I mean, I made sure Dad thought I didn't enjoy it all that much, but I had fun."

"Why not?" Canary asked, tilting her head in confusion.

"I didn't want to be gone too often," Pyro answered. Then he added quietly to himself, "Especially not now."

Black Canary hummed. "Would you say there is anything else that contributed to a lack of reaction?"

"I didn't consider Zsasz human," Pyro replied, scratching his neck. "He was a psychotic murderer who killed people because he realized that his life was meaningless and was projecting it on to the rest of the world. Whatever humanity he had died when he squandered his fortune and broke when the reality of the situation came crashing down on him."

Black Canary mulled this over in thought. _He's clearly very well read on this subject_. "Listen, I don't want to debate the ethics of killing Zsasz. If I were in your shoes, I would've been strongly tempted to do exactly what you did…but I can't. Neither can you. Not anymore."

"I refuse to back down from my convictions because of a mob," Pyro replied stiffly.

"It's not about the harassment," Black Canary replied. "I'm sorry that happened to you. But metahumans are treated differently by the Justice system all around the world just because there aren't as many prison facilities built for metas as there are for regular people. As a meta, you'd get a longer sentence just because you'd be sent to a maximum-security prison. You got off lucky with the Justifiable Homicide ruling, but if it happened again and you weren't so lucky…"

Pyro took a breath. "I know."

"I'm sorry," Black Canary replied, shaking her head. "I'm just trying to tell you the facts."

"Yeah," Pyro sighed. "You're right, of course. Look, as long as I'm affiliated with the League, I'm not killing anyone. You have my word. If there comes a time when I'm not with the League, that may change but for now…"

"I suppose that's all I can ask," Black Canary sighed. "Why did you want to join the team?"

"I wanted to…hang out with people my own age that have got their heads on straight," Pyro answered, stretching out his back and popping the spine. "Oh, man…uh, most people my age are complete idiots with their heads shoved so far up their holes they can almost see their brains. I figured that sidekicks, who have actually been around the block would make for better company."

Black Canary hummed. "Would you say you were right?"

"Yeah," Pyro nodded. "Aqualad fits the bill perfectly and Artemis is just a joy to hang around."

"Would you say that you have any worries at all?" Black Canary asked with a raised eyebrow. "As far as the team goes?"

"M'Gann has to do something about Kid Flash," Pyro answered venomously. "I've only been here for an evening and the way he's chasing her like a puppy with a leash in it's mouth is grating on my nerves."

"I…will talk to M'Gann if it becomes more of an issue," Black Canary said with a nod. "I am hoping that eventually she will talk to him about it to get him to stop."

"I don't think she's going too. She's too nice to want to crush him," Pyro replied wearily. "But it's your call, Den Mother."

"I'm glad you see it that way," Black Canary replied coolly. "One last question."

"Shoot," Pyro said, miming shooting a pistol with his fingers.

"Why did you pick fire?" Black Canary asked. "You deliberately gave yourself these powers, why fire?"

"That's a tough question," Pyro began with a hum. "Well… from an early age, I was afraid of dying to cancer. I heard my Mom and Dad talk about how it was such a horrible disease and how it slowly killed you while your family watched you wither with no possible way to do anything about it. How the only way to treat it was to inject poison into your body that sometimes did more to kill you than the disease did. It stuck with me."

Black Canary's head tilted. "Okay."

"Fast forward, I learn about magic, get a ritual that can bind a magical source to one's soul," Pyro continued, putting his hands together. "Magic is all about symbolism and conceptual stuff. In magic, fire is as much about the forge and human ingenuity as it is about burning stuff. I've noticed an increase in ability to make things and think my way around problems since I've bound the fire elemental to my soul."

"So," Black Canary began. "What does that have to do with Cancer?"

"One of the things that Fire is tied to on a conceptual level is purification," Pyroclasm explained, placing his hands on the arms of his couch. "Purification of metal, purification of the soul…purification of the body by burning away disease and imperfections."

"Oh," Black Canary said.

"By binding the essence of fire to my soul," Pyro's voice just had the smallest amount of shakiness, almost impossible to make out. "I have ensured that I will never die of cancer."

* * *

 _Author's Notes: Muse was beating me again. I didn't intend to start working on this fic again until Monday and the Muse demanded a blood sacrifice to work on anything else, so here we go. A bit of downtime in between missions. We've got about ten-ish days until the episode 'Denial' so I hope to build up the team some more for you guys._

 _Thanks for all the feedback, both positive and negative. I'm trying to listen to as much of it as I can and it helps me greatly when you guys post critique then expound and extract on these critiques. Seriously, you guys have been great. Thank you!_

 _Shout out to_ PostLifeSyndrome _, the newest super patron, helping these stories come out by contributing a few bottles of soda a month. Or a few candy bars. A mix of both is actually the most likely._

 _Also a big thank you to_ Melden V, Anders Kronquist, Ray Tony Song, makopaulo, Volkogluk, Aaron Bjornson, iolande, Martin Auguado, Julio, Jiopaba, Hackerham, Tim Collins-Squire, Maben00, Devil's Bite _and_ Sultan Saltlick. _Thank you so much for your continued support. You're awesome._

 _Until the next time!_

 _~Fulcon_


	7. Chapter 7: Saute

_The following is a fanbased work of fiction. Young Justice is property of DC Comics, Warner Brothers and Greg Weissman – please support the official release._

* * *

"So, you saved his life by landing a shot into a gym from across the street, on a rooftop in the middle of the night," Pyro summed up, opening the phone booth door.

"Yup," Artemis replied with a satisfied grin on her face. "Was not easy, but my years of training allowed me to make a shot like that blindfolded."

They were both in their civilian clothing, Pyro having hid by leaning on the wall beside the phone-booth while civilians were passing along on the sidewalk. Eventually, the coast had cleared long enough for both of them to move inside, which Artemis had signaled with the wave of her finger. Pyro opened the door and closed it behind them.

"I almost believe that, actually," Pyro replied, sounding somewhat surprised beneath his mask. "Pyroclasm and Artemis to Mt. Justice."

They disappeared from the phonebooth in a flash of light and reappeared back in Mount Justice.

"So, can you do any other trick shots?" Pyro asked as they walked into the cave. "Behind you, over the shoulder? With _out_ looking?"

The two had arrived in the mission room, where each of their other teammates were standing at the center, gathered around Red Tornado, who was holding a large stack of paper in one hand like a waiter held a entrée.

Artemis chuckled. "I wish. Though I can hit a basketball in midair to give it the boost it needs to be a three pointer."

"Awesome," Pyro replied with a chuckle of his own.

"What about you?" Artemis asked with a raised eyebrow. "You got any fire tricks you can do?"

"Well, I can keep a pan steady in the air using nothing but flames," Pyro said, holding his hand out in front of him as if he were actually doing it. "I'm trying to turn that into jetpack action."

"Ooh," Artemis replied, her eyes widening just a bit.

"Artemis, Pyroclasm," Aqualad greeted with a nod. "We are glad you could make it."

"Took you long enough," Kid Flash added with a raised eyebrow.

"Street was busy again," Pyro shrugged, stepping up to the group and placing a hand in his pocket. "Took a bit for the coast to clear."

"It's kind of annoying," Artemis added, placing her hands on her hips. "We get to the teleporter, then there's people walking down the sidewalk and the teleporter is bright, flashy and kind of conspicuous…at least it feels that way mid molecular-pinball."

"Hard to miss bright and flashing in the middle of a shady alley," Pyro added with a nod. "I'm just glad no one tilts the machine while we're in transit."

Robin let out an amused chuckle, covering his mouth with his hand.

"Huh?" Artemis asked, tilting her head to look at him.

"If you tilt a pinball machine, it stops completely," Pyro explained without even missing a beat. "Since we'd be right in the middle of molecular pinball…"

"Oh. _Ohhh…_ you're right, that would be bad," Artemis slowly nodded, narrowing her eyes. "What would happen, would we finish our trip? Would we be split between here and back there?"

"We might end up mixed together," Pyro said with a shudder.

"Oh, no," Artemis started shaking her head with disgusted look on her face. "Can I take being split into pieces instead?"

"I'd rather just wind up back where I started to be honest," Pyro said with another shudder.

"So would I," Artemis replied with a nod. "But I was thinking that'd be too optimistically naïve to hope for."

"You do not need to worry about being seen," Red Tornado said while the two were shuddering in disgust and horror. "The flash on your side is being dimmed by the glass – it is barely noticeable and no one would focus on two teenagers entering a phonebooth in the middle of an alleyway. They'd simply assume the two of you were performing some act of affection if they noticed at all."

"Oh, that's true," Pyro said, cupping his chin. "But what about police that might be there and might interrupt us because they might suspect something illegal is going on?"

"Eh, if we see a cop on the way in we could just hang out around the corner," Artemis replied with a shrug. "Like we did just now."

"Not even a reaction," Robin muttered with a smile, shaking his head.

"Point," Pyro said, pointing at Artemis in a relaxed fashion. "You know, I feel kind of dumb now."

"Me too," Artemis replied.

"So…are you two dating?" Kid Flash asked, pointing at them with his finger that swiftly moved from target to target. "Because I kind of thought you were."

They both stopped for just a moment to look at each other.

"No," Artemis blurted out.

"You sure?" Kid Flash's mouth started to curl into a smirk as he asked this question.

"We're not dating," Pyroclasm replied calmly. "We're just two people with sharp wit and a highly refined sense of humor."

"Yeah, we met each other for the first time the other night," Artemis added with a nod of her own. "Not dating."

"Really?" Ms. Martian asked with a frown. "You two seemed so…"

"On the same page?" Pyro asked.

"Yeah," Ms. Martian said with a nod.

"I know, it was cool," Pyro replied.

"If I may interject," Red Tornado began, stepping forward.

"Right, sorry," Pyroclasm said, gesturing toward Red Tornado with his hand. "Go ahead, you were in the middle of something when we arrived."

"We were simply awaiting your arrival," Red Tornado replied without the slightest hint of either offense or amusement. "Since you are new, allow me to explain the procedure for non-training days. I bring several announcements to the team and provide them with briefings on topics of interest to the League, as well as supplying updates. Your briefings include a detailed report on the missions the team has undertaken before you joined."

"That's a relief," Artemis said with raised eyebrows as Red Tornado passed around the stacks of paper to each member. "I've been hoping for something like this, I didn't want to head into a mission blind and screw up because I wasn't there for something important."

"Same here," Pyro said, taking his eagerly. "I've been dying to find out everything you guys found when you raided Cadmus back on Independence Day."

"You mean Superboy?" Kid Flash asked, jabbing a thumb at the Boy of Steel.

"Besides him," Pyro replied, digging through his large stack of paper without pausing.

"You are required to read the whole thing," Red Tornado said, handing the final brief to Ms. Martian. "The consequences of decisions made because of something you did not know would be dire. After you have read it, you have free time in the cave. You may converse with each other, play games, discuss the briefing. Do you understand?"

"Sounds great to me," Pyro said happily, flipping through the briefing before returning to page one.

"As for announcements," Red Tornado said, stepping back as the holograms in the training ground lit up, bringing the information of…

"Cheshire?" Artemis asked, eyes narrowing at the name written above the picture of her sister. Then the file started to scroll and there was an armored car, wrecked on the side of the road with a massive hole exploding out from the back. "What about - She _escaped_?!"

"That is correct," Red Tornado replied. "The police were transferring her to a holding facility to await trial when the car was attacked. There were no survivors and the attacker has not been identified. Cheshire, Black Spider and Hook are now at large. Details will be in your briefing. The League is doing everything it can to re-apprehend her and any information that might lead to her capture would be appreciated."

"I don't know anything," Artemis shook her head. "Before we caught her, I hadn't seen her in years."

"I see," Red Tornado replied. "Does any of you have something they would like brought to the League?"

The team started shaking their heads.

"Then that is all. Thank you."

A red tornado formed around the robot's legs, lifting him up to the ceiling where he disappeared through a hatch.

"Aw, man," Pyro muttered to himself. "I forgot to ask him about Dr. Morrow."

"T.O Morrow?" Kid Flash asked with a raised eyebrow. "Why would you want to ask him about that?"

"I've studied the work of Dr. Morrow extensively," Pyro replied wistfully. "I'm a big fan of his contributions to science and engineering and there was some thing I was hoping to get some insight on."

"Like what?" Artemis asked with interest.

"How the heck he created a functioning artificial intelligence with vacuum tube computers," Pyro said with the shake of his head. "That still completely blows my mind."

"Well, while we're going over the briefings," Ms. Martian piped up. "I've made chocolate chip cookies in the lounge. We can talk in there?"

"Sounds great to me beautiful," Kid Flash said with a grin.

* * *

"Did this really happen?" Artemis asked, looking up at the team with a confused grimace. "Did you think Mister Twister was Red Tornado?"

The rest of them looked at each other. They were sitting in the lounge around the coffee table. Pyro and Artemis were sitting in chairs to the side, while Kid Flash, Robin and Superboy sat on the couch. Aqualad was sitting down at the table across from where Pyro and Artemis were sitting. Ms. Martian was standing off to the side, briefing in one hand, the other folded over her chest.

On the table was a large platter of chocolate chip cookies that were half-gone.

"…yeah," Ms. Martian replied sheepishly, rubbing her arm. "It was my idea."

"I mean, I don't want to harp on it," Artemis said, reaching for another cookie. "I just thought it was odd."

"It was really conceited," Pyro stated bluntly, rolling his mask down after swallowing a cookie himself. "To just assume that thousands and thousands of dollars' worth of property damage would be caused just to test a new team. That, and all the medical assistance that had to be called in to help everyone hurt in the attacks. These cookies are good, by the way."

Superboy growled, his eyes narrowing.

"Look, I-I know it was dumb," Ms. Martian replied with a frown.

"It happened several weeks ago," Aqualad began with a frown. "It was a mistake, but it was resolved. There is no point in returning to it."

"I was just wanting to ask a question," Artemis shrugged. "Didn't mean to insult anyone."

"I was mostly talking to Pyroclasm," Aqualad rejoined.

"Aqualad's got a point," Pyro said with a sigh. "Sorry, everyone, for pointing that out so long after the fact."

"You really should only apologize to M'Gann," Kid Flash replied, pointing with his thumb toward her.

"I disagree," Pyro looked up from the report. "I was giving all of you shade for going along with it. But like Aqualad said, it's in the past and I wasn't there."

"Do you have to criticize everything you see?" Robin asked with a glare.

"Just the stupid stuff," Pyro replied smartly.

He looked up and caught everyone glaring at him, then sighed.

"It's not like I'm saying that you're stupid, you're not," Pyro said, laying the report down in front of him. "But everyone does stupid things no matter how smart they are. It just so happened that coming to think that Mister Twister and Red Tornado being one and the same was one of those things that you should be able to think back on and laugh about. Because it was dumb."

Ms. Martian sighed. "Yeah, it was."

"It is fine," Aqualad said with a sense of finality before anyone else could object. "Apologies have been exchanged, we should move on to another topic."

"Like this op you guys pulled at Santa Prisca," Pyro said, holding his briefing up. "You guys handled that reasonably well for not having picked a leader beforehand. Well done."

"Batman told us to pick a leader on the fly," Kid Flash replied with a shrug. "Worked out great."

"Let's just focus on how you stopped Kobra from getting away with this thing they cooked up," Pyro said, miming moving a miniature box from one imaginary shelf to the other. "I'd like to avoid being caustic for the rest of the day."

"Fair enough," Robin said.

"Wait, my _Dad_ was the buyer?" Artemis asked with a frown. "…are there any members of my family you _haven't_ met yet?"

"Do you have a mom?" Ms. Martian asked with a smile, slowly raising a single finger.

"Okay, so that's the only one," Artemis said, shaking her head. "That is so weird."

"Weird coincidence," Kid Flash said thoughtfully. Then his eyes narrowed. "Uh…"

"It really is just a coincidence," Robin supplied helpfully.

"Okay," Kid Flash said, looking relieved. "That is weird though."

"Very Strange," Aqualad said with a nod.

"It's a small world, I guess," Ms. Martian added. "Oh…that's the right saying, right?"

"It is indeed," Pyro said, flipping through the pages. "This Kobra-Venom thing is interesting…wait, it takes Venom, makes it stronger _and_ permanent? Do we have the formula here in the Cave's database?"

"Yeah," Kid Flash nodded. Then he jumped as a thought entered his head, making him lean forward and squinting at him. "Wait, you're not seriously thinking of injecting yourself with it, are you?"

"Uh…" Pyro gave a waffling motion with his hand. "Maybe? It depends."

"Okay, no," Kid Flash said, pointing at him. "No injecting random supervillain serums into yourself."

"Why not, Mom?" Pyroclasm asked, sarcastically looking over his briefing.

"It's dangerous, that's why," Aqualad narrowed his eyes.

"I'm actually with them on this one," Artemis said with a raised eyebrow, pointing her thumb at the group. "That sounds really, really dumb."

"That's because it _is_ really dumb," Kid Flash said, looking dead serious. "Just randomly performing experiments for the sole purpose of a powerup is dangerous. There's a reason people don't try to stack power on power on power like that and it's because people almost die when they get the first one."

"Is that you speaking from experience, Kid Flash?" Pyroclasm asked calmly.

"Yes," Kid Flash replied through grit teeth.

"I say let him," Superboy said with a shrug.

"Conner," Ms. Martian said, sounding aghast. "How could you say that? Sure, it's been a little…awkward with him here, but that's no reason to suggest he do something like that to himself."

"I'm just saying he's going to do it anyway if we let him or not," Superboy said with a shrug. "He's already done it with that chip of his. Maybe he can figure out a few things for the rest of us while he's at it."

"Look, I'm not stupid enough to just inject something in me without knowing of the side effects," Pyro said, still looking through the briefing. "Wait, 'possible neural degradation'? I can't inject this! My wit and charm are my best features and I'd be losing those!"

"Common sense prevails at last," Robin deadpanned.

"Well, I'd still like to look at it," Pyro said. "You know, to look at under a microscope and stuff."

"You mean to bring it to whoever your doctor is and see if he'll inject it for you," Artemis said, pointing an accusatory finger at him.

Pyro tossed his head around like he was weighing something in his head. "No, I just want him to look at it and see if he can improve on it. Doubt it, honestly, but…you know. Wait, I wouldn't be allowed to put the formula on a thumb-drive to take to him, would I?"

Robin got a smile on his face that was growing wider by the second. "I could check with Batman, see what he says."

"Never mind," Pyro responded, putting a hand up to stop him from making the call. "I already know the answer."

"Tssss," Robin smirked, putting his communicator away.

"Why would you want to inject that, anyway?" Artemis asked, flipping to the next page of her brief. "I mean, the super strength would be nice, I guess, and you'd be tougher and I just answered my own question."

"I just think being stabbed again would be bad," Pyro said with a nod.

"Right, yeah," Artemis returned the nod. "Makes total sense."

The room fell into quiet. Pages flipped as they read. Robin flipped his brief back to page one and set it on the counter.

"Wait, Professor Ivo's in Belle Reve?" Pyro said, sounding amazing. "Does anyone know off hand what the Prison's policy on visitor's is?"

"Why?" Kid Flash asked, his face turning into that of a mix between confusion and disgust.

"He just got done building a robot that can mimic the full power levels of any one member of the Justice League," Pyro said, pointing to the brief like he was aghast that anyone would ask such a question. "I want to know how."

"He is another man whose work you admire," Aqualad said for clarification.

"That's exactly correct," Pyro nodded.

"…well, if you wanted to visit, you'd need to schedule," Robin replied with a shrug. "And, you know, he'd have to actually _want_ to see you."

"Hm. Maybe I should start with a letter to the man instead," Pyro said, tapping his chin. Then he looked at the rest of the team. "What? I'm just really curious about how most of this stuff actually works. It's awesome!"

"Yeah, it's awesome until it's trying to kill you," Kid Flash snarked.

Pyro simply shrugged. "Fair enough."

"You just need a good archer at your back and you're fine," Artemis said with a smug smile.

After that, Artemis and Pyro went back to their briefs, while the rest of the team continued to speak.

"So, how do you guys think the Shadows are going to try again on Star Labs," Robin asked. "It's not going to be soon, we just seriously tanked an operation that took a lot of man hours and a lot of resources to put together."

"The shadows may still be able to create another fog," Aqualad said, holding his brief. "Dr. Roquette was in their custody for two weeks and we do not know the details of Red Arrows rescue; they may not have had time to delete any files left in their databanks."

"Oh, I hope not," Superboy snarled.

"We will need to prepare for if they strike again," Aqualad said, leaning forward and interlocking his webbed fingers.

"Hello, Megan!" Ms. Martian said, lightly hitting her head. "We still have the virus, we'd just need to upload that again if we see it again."

"Actually getting the virus _into_ the fog is going to be a pain," Robin replied, folding his arms. "There is no way they'll have an exposed access point next time, we'd have to intercept the signal and hack in that way and that will take a long time."

"Is there a way we can find such a signal ahead of time," Aqualad asked curiously.

"You can't trace a signal if it's not broadcasting," Robin replied. "It'd be concerting if we could but we can't. We'd have to wait until the attacks start."

"Come on, there's got to be an option for us here besides sitting down and waiting," Kid Flash said before plopping another cookie into his mouth. "Oh, these are _good_."

"Thanks, Kid Flash," M'Gann said with a smile.

"Batman's working on some way to put a bug into the Shadow's network," Robin assured them. "That way we'll already be in a good spot to disable another fog attack, find out how they're making more and blow up their factories."

"That is good for Batman," Aqualad replied with a nod. "But what can _we_ do?"

"I don't think there's much we can do," Robin replied with a shrug. "Training on area of effect attacks, maybe? I don't think Superboy would be a good pick against something like the fog again."

Superboy just glared and let out an angry breath as he laid back against the chair.

"No. Ms. Martian and myself would have been better," Aqualad said with a nod. "I see that now. With my water bearers, I might have been able to short out the fog's circuits or Ms. Martian might've been able to gather them into a ball and crush them. If shorting them out didn't work, perhaps Pyroclasm would have been able to melt them down."

"Yeah, but Ms. M couldn't go because she had to be the decoy," Kid Flash replied. "Per the brilliant plan of our little fire starter who had to make sure it worked."

"Thank you, Kid Flash," Pyro replied, a smirk in his voice. "I thought of it myself."

Kid Flash looked annoyed. "Right."

"You are both correct," Aqualad said, heading off the argument. "It was a good plan that worked very, very well. But I am saying that if I had to do it over again, I would have kept Superboy at the school and went along to fight the Fog myself, taking Pyro and Robin while Leaving Kid Flash, Artemis, Superboy and Ms. Martian behind."

"I agree with the assessment, actually," Pyro said, placing his briefing down on the table.

"That's a shocker," Kid Flash muttered, folding his arms across his chest.

"I don't believe it was feasible given the questionable social dynamics of the team," Pyro continued, utterly heedless to Kid Flash's lip. "But were we sure to be able to work together as a cohesive unit, that would've been the best way to arrange everyone."

Ms. Martian floated off toward the kitchen.

"Yeah, it's too bad we had a rough start," Artemis said, placing her briefing down on the table. "Might've been able to avoid the problems our groups faced at the start."

"We had no way of knowing we would be given a mission," Aqualad replied. "There was some miscommunication beforehand, but that is in the past. We should use it as a learning experience and move on."

"I agree," Robin said.

"Last batch of cookies are ready," Ms. Martian said, carrying a plate of cookies with her telekinesis. One by one, they floated off the plate she brought and onto the platter on the table. "Be careful, they're hot."

Pyroclasm hummed, extending a finger then pulling it back in a hooking motion. "No, they're not."

"I just pulled them from the oven, though," Ms. Martian said, looking confused. "I…wait. Hello, Megan! You pulled the heat from the cookies."

"That is right," Pyro said, reaching forward and taking one. "Heat doesn't bug me at all, but I figured that there were a couple of you that didn't want to wait to avoid burning your tongues."

"So, when did you do you science experiment to get your powers?" Kid Flash asked, snatching a cookie from the plate and taking a very small, experimental bite. Then he ate it in an instant.

"Not an experiment," Pyro replied with a shake of his head. "Magical ritual."

"Really?" Aqualad replied in surprise.

"Oh boy," Kid Flash said in that flat, disappointed voice of someone slowly losing their faith in humanity. "You're one of those people."

"And you're one of _those_ people," Pyro snarked with equal parts incredulity and predatory anticipation.

"What sort of ritual?" Ms. Martian asked curiously. "I haven't seen any of the magic Earth has first-hand."

Pyro stopped in the middle of moving to grab another cookie. "You know what, let's not do this now. We might burn down the cave."

"You know what, I agree," Kid Flash said, nodding rapidly. "Let's _not_ right now."

"Well, I like to call it the 'Prometheus Rite'," Pyro said, turning his attention back to the Martian who was eyeing Kid Flash oddly. "I grabbed enough cast-off matter from the plane called 'The Burn' to stitch together an elemental; then I glued to it myself."

"Glued it to yourself _how_?" Kid Flash asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Well, glued it to my soul," Pyro replied with a shrug.

"Uh- _huh_ ," Kid Flash said, trying to cover up the doubt with some feigned curiosity.

"You created a fire elemental," Aqualad repeated with horrified fascination. "Then fused it to your soul."

"Yup," Pyro replied. "Haven't tried anything since then because I'm still on the look out for negative effects. Haven't been any so far beyond an increased sensitivity to ice-cubes but even that's not that bad."

Ms. Martian and Artemis both looked at him with a dumb-founded expression. Robin simply raised an eyebrow and shook his head. Superboy was looking at him out of the corner of his eye.

"Pyroclasm," Aqualad began carefully. "Are you…well?"

"I'm insane, yes," Pyro nodded slowly in response, still and calm. "But I'm the kind of crazy you want on the team."

Everyone was quiet for a second as they processed this new statement.

"Well, as long as he's aware of it," Robin said, taking another cookie. "I think he's fine."

* * *

 _Author's Note: You know, some things don't really stand up on examination. To be perfectly honest, I'm totally willing to let it slide and accept it, but I do want the characters to remark on it._

 _Something I've learned over the years and it's become much, much more apparent recently, is that every writer, no matter how talented makes mistakes. Sometimes the world building doesn't make sense, sometimes the characters act in ways I think are stupid, and so on. But I can't truly criticize, tear down and act like they're idiots because, since this is fanfiction and I_ like _the show I'm writing for, I can only remember my own mistakes that I've made in my writing. So for those of you who may or may not be concerned that I'm going the route of_ 'everyone should be doing this' _or_ 'everyone is an idiot' _…well, I'm not. Frankly, I've got too much respect for what Greg Weissman_ did _with Young Justice to tear it down. I hope that is enough to reassure you._

 _Also, I will be more or less ignoring the comic tie-in's for the most part, simply because I haven't read them and I don't feel like there's anything particularly important to_ this _fic. Other author's have used these issues to great effect, such as A Subtle Knife, but I don't believe that I want to do that for this fic. I'd like the cast to have more down time._

 _Shout out goes out too_ DarthBane _, our newest Super Patron. Welcome aboard!_

 _Also a huge thank you goes out too_ Melden V, Anders Kronquist, Ray Tony Song, makopaulo, Volkogluk, Aaron Bjornson, iolande, Martin Auguado, Julio, Jiopaba, Hackerham, Tim Collins-Squire, Maben00, Devil's Bite, Sultan Saltlick _and_ PostLifeSyndrome. _You guys are the best!_

 _Until the next time!_

 _~Fulcon_


	8. Chapter 8: Bacon Lure

_The following is a fanbased work of fiction. Young Justice is property of DC Comics, Warner Brothers and Greg Weisman – please support the official release._

* * *

"We have decided to allow you access to the Kobra-Venom formula for analysis purposes only," Batman said formally, looking down at Pyro. "But there are several conditions you must agree too before we allow you to take the formula outside of the cave."

"That is a lot better than I was expecting to happen," Pyro replied with some cheer. "Lay it on me."

"The first is that you are not to inject yourself with the Kobra-Venom formula or any formula derived from the Kobra-Venom formula without direct permission from both myself and Red Tornado," Batman explained, voice betraying no emotion.

"Okay, that's not too bad," Pyro replied with a nod.

"The second is that you are to introduce us to your doctor," Batman continued without missing a beat.

"Crap," Pyro said, his shoulders deflating.

"Ah, come on, what's so bad about us meeting the guy who gives you your check-ups?" Robin asked with a raised eyebrow.

"The bad thing is that you would be meeting the guy who gives me my check-ups," Pyro replied, laying his hands in front of him as if he were presenting the most obvious thing on the planet. "Letting you meet him would just be unprofessional of me."

"Is your doctor involved in illegal activities?" Batman asked levelly.

"No," Pyro replied.

"Is your Doctor an Artificial Intelligence?" Batman asked.

Pyro didn't answer immediately, caught by surprise. Then, he leaned his head back with an annoyed groan. "My parents still remember that?"

"Is that confirmation?" Batman asked.

"Might as well be," Pyro replied, rubbing his temple with his fingers. "Look, just keep it down, there's a lot of people out there convinced that AI getting to prevalent is like flirting with the end of the world, my parents especially."

"Noted," Batman replied. "The final condition is that we must be able to test and ensure that your computer system is secure. You will be holding classified League data, we cannot let it land in the hands of anyone who decides to dox you on account of your actions."

"Haven't you already been poking at my system?" Pyro asked, leaning forward. "Because someone's been trying to poke at it and they keep getting their fingers chopped off, so to say."

"I have not," Batman replied neutrally.

"Well, I was assuming it was you," Pyro replied, folding his arms. "You've got a reputation for paranoia and I wouldn't put it past you to try to get into stuff…just because. But if it's not you, I'm concerned."

"Can you trace where these attempts are coming from?" Robin asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Easy," Pyro answered, waving it off. "I just didn't want to find myself in the Batcave's system and wind up in an insane amount of trouble."

"Eh, probably the right call," Robin replied with a nod. "But now that you know it's not us, you can find them."

"When you do, bring the information directly to Mount Justice," Batman began flatly. "We will ensure the information is put to good use."

"There's perks to being affiliated with the League, I suppose," Pyroclasm replied. "And just so we're clear, what happens if I _don't_ get you're okay to inject and then do so anyway?"

"You will be removed from the team."

It was final.

"Alright, good to know," Pyroclasm nodded. "Carrot and Stick approach. Got it."

"We're just making sure you don't transfigure yourself into a mutated monstrosity that sucks peoples brains out," Robin said, holding his hand out in a diplomatic gesture. "I mean, it'd be really cool if someone made a perfectly safe super serum that everyone can get but…it's never perfectly safe. You know what we mean?"

"Oh, believe me, I do," Pyroclasm nodded. "I've been trying _really_ hard to keep calm so I don't snap and decide to just explode something random."

"Has it been more difficult to keep a level head since the Prometheus Rite?" Batman asked, white eyes narrowing almost imperceptibly.

"Nah," Pyro shook his head. "I was always pretty caustic growing up so my behavior isn't anything new."

"Is your Doctor keeping an eye on your physiological condition?" Batman asked.

"Of course," Pyro nodded. "I'm not an idiot who just did something random for power with no safeguards or ways to undo it."

"So, the Rite could be undone?" Robin asked.

Pyro hummed. "Not anymore. I think I passed that point a week ago."

"Well, as long as you've got it covered," Robin said. "Still, if we could meet your Doctor, you'd be on the way getting another power-up…"

"Not a chance," Pyro replied flatly, folding his arm.

"When you change your mind," Batman began, looking entirely unfazed. "You may talk to either Red Tornado or myself. We will set up a time and place, such as at your home or even here in the cave on an isolated terminal."

"Why do you want to meet them beyond making sure I'm not endangering myself?" Pyroclasm asked flatly.

"A trustworthy AI would be quite valuable," Batman answered frankly.

"And how do I know you're not just going to wipe her the moment you get a chance?" Pyro asked quickly.

Batman looked dead into Pyro's sunglasses before answering. "If I truly believed that your AI was the threat that all AI have been made out to be by Hollywood and the media, I would not be letting you know that I was interested in meeting her – I would simply break into your house and deal with her myself. I am not and I have not. I am tentatively offering a chance to meet and discuss a possible involvement with the Justice League."

Pyro simply stood there, not moving as he thought in silence. His head drifted to the left, then to the right, then back to center. Robin looked at Batman, who gave him a single, nigh imperceptible shake of his head.

"Alright," Pyro nodded, slowly but picking up speed as he continued. "Alright. I'll talk to her. See what she says about it…just letting you know, she might say no."

"Then it will be up to you to convince her if want the meeting to occur," Batman replied.

"Uh-huh," Pyro said. "Are we done here? Wait, actually, before I forget, is there a way I can contact Dr. Roquette?"

"No," Batman shook his head. "She is in witness protection. I'm assuming you're interested in The Fog?"

"Just nanites in general," Pyro replied with a shrug. "It's much, much easier to copy someone else's work than to do it yourself. That's what I did to make the AI, after-all. Is that all?"

"That is all," Batman said, turning and heading down the zetatube.

"Recognized: Batman, 02."

* * *

In the mission room, the team was doing 'free practice'. Superboy was practicing various grapple techniques for lifting cars, trucks and other vehicles with hard-light props from the projectors; useful if you needed to lift an automobile out of danger without tearing or breaking the car. Aqualad was shifting the water from his bearers between different weapon configurations as quickly and as precisely as he could, attacking holographic targets. Kid Flash's area took up the most amount of space, slamming into a series of moving, holographic mannequins in rapid succession in a game of improvised pinball. Ms. Martian was levitating a set of a dozen smooth balls into a variety of formations. Artemis was hitting targets with her bow.

Robin rolled his shoulders and drew a grapple from the belt around his waist. "I love grapple training."

"You ever thought about getting a jetpack or jet-boots or something?" Pyro asked curiously.

"Nah. Grapple hooks are so much more fun," Robin said, letting a hook loose and zipping up into the air.

"Alright," Pyroclasm muttered, sitting down cross-legged on the ground. "Let's see if I can finally get this right… Uh…training partition of ten-feet in diameter around me? Computer?"

Around him, a holographic circle raised a few inches off the ground.

"Cool, that works," Pyro said, taking a breath. "Control exercise…"

He held out his hands, a ball of fire emerging from both. They went out from him, floating in an orbit around him as he created another pair that joined in the orbit. Then, taking another breath, he let out a thick cloud of black smoke that separated into a ring and settled right below the orbiting balls of fire.

Taking in another breath, he let out another ring, this one smaller and settling closer around him. Pyro's breath was deep and slow as he extended his hands again, creating another pair of flames, then another, the orbit opposite the outer flames. The smoke in the outer ring started to drift away slightly. With a grunt of frustration, Pyro added more smoke to the ring to preserve its general volume.

"Just keep the smoke in the rings," Pyro muttered to himself. "All you got to do."

So, it was. Pyro sat in the center of his rings of smoke and fire, trying to hold those two elements in place.

"Computer, adjust training; protect targets," Aqualad said as he concluded his first training session. "M'Gann?"

"Yes, Aqualad?" M'Gann said, turning toward him.

"Can you attack these targets with those balls?" Aqualad asked, rolling his shoulders. "I need to practice making barriers."

"You got it," M'Gann said, waiting for Aqualad to get ready. "Whenever you're ready."

Aqualad held his water bearers up, holding the water itself in amorphous blobs above him. "Ready."

She let the stones fly, one for each of three targets. He blocked the first two by creating a floating wall of water in front of them, but didn't reach the third in time and it was smashed into several projected pieces that faded as the projector reset the targets in new positions.

Kid Flash stopped bouncing between targets. "Hey, Superboy?"

Superboy set the simulated car he was holding onto the ground. "Yeah?"

"I need to practice moving people out of the way of oncoming projectiles," Kid Flash said, gesturing to the simulated targets he had been knocking around. "You mind providing some?"

"Alright," Superboy said, grabbing a car. "Computer, adjust training; throwing cars."

"Computer, adjust training," Kid Flash said. "Moving civilians."

Superboy grabbed a car and threw it at the group of simulated civilians. In a blur of motion, Kid Flash ran at them, moving each out of the expected impact zone. One of the holographic mannequin's arm flashed yellow.

"Huh," Kid Flash said, zipping forward for a closer look. "Broke the wrist. Haven't done that in a while."

"Incoming," Superboy said in warning, right before he threw his newly projected car at the new set of simulated civilians.

"Geeze!" Kid Flash hissed before booking it to the group, managing to get them out of the way _right_ before they got hit.

Over by where Artemis was standing, slinging arrows at targets with nigh-perfect aim, Robin dropped down from the ceiling with a grin. "Hey, Artemis. You up for some sparring?"

Artemis looked at him out of the corner of her eye before letting loose her final arrow, hitting the target on the far side of the cave square in the center. "Sure. Best of three?"

"Best of five," Robin said, grin getting larger and his eyes narrowing. "Watch the shades, though."

"Alright," Artemis said, setting her bow down next to the empty quiver and settling into a stance. "Bring it, bird-brain."

"Oh, it is on," Robin said, launching into a jump-kick that Artemis ducked and rolled under to dodge. She stood up and aimed a punch at him as he came down, hitting him in the back which let her grab his arm. He twisted out of her grip and hit her in the stomach, allowing Robin to back up from her. Then they charged again.

Over in the circles of fire, Pyroclasm gasped out loudly. The rings of smoke and orbiting flames rapidly dissipated as he slowly stood up, holding his head and muttering to himself. "Stupid smoke…shouldn't be that hard."

* * *

"So, Kid Flash," Pyro started from his spot on the floor, BLT sandwich gripped in his hand. "You mentioned having some personal experience with seeking power ups?"

Kid Flash, who had been caught right in the middle of taking a bite out of his own sandwich stopped at the question. Then he took the bite and chewed it, deliberately taking his time while Pyro rolled up his mask to take a bite. "Yeah, I did."

"You mind sharing the details?" Pyro asked before taking a bite, bacon gracing his tongue with all of its delicious, fatty glory. "Hm, this bacon's good…"

"Yeah, I do," Kid Flash answered, taking another bite while looking at him defiantly.

"I mean, I wasn't going to ask for the exact formula or what type of device or whatever it was that you used," Pyro replied with a shrug. "I was just wondering what brought you to the decision to get your powers."

"Oh, you weren't born with them?" M'Gann asked curiously, holding a sandwich in her hand.

"N-no, I wasn't," Kid Flash said, looking off to the side.

"Huh," M'Gann replied, floating over the couch and sitting down with her legs crossed at the knee.

"I'm glad whatever it was that he did worked," Robin said, hopping over the couch's arm.

"Hm!" Superboy groaned in pleasure loud enough to turn everyone's heads. "This is _good_!"

"Thank you!" M'Gann beamed brightly. "This was my first time trying to grill bacon, so I'm glad it turned out so well."

"It is amazing," Kid Flash said with a grin and a raised eyebrow.

"Good bacon, good sandwich," Robin replied with a nod.

"So, whatever it was that you did," Pyro began, bringing the discussion back to the original topic. "My only question is, you know, why?"

"Why did you go chasing after power?" Kid Flash threw back, taking another bite, finishing his sandwich. "I'mma go make another."

Then he zipped off from the lounge to the kitchen.

Pyro started shaking his head, chuckling in amusement before continuing loudly. "So, to answer your question, it only came as a result of my focus on computer science. I figured it'd be nice to have, you know?"

"Computer science!" Kid Flash replied, zipping back to the lounge. "That's interesting of you to say, I thought you were magical."

"Oh, I am," Pyro replied easily. "I just used the magic of programming to sift through the garbage to find the real deal. Even then it took me forever."

"So, everything you know about magic, you pulled off the internet," Kid Flash said with a massive smile on his face that threatened to tear his face in half. "This just keeps getting better and better. Is there a wiki?"

"Yeah," Pyro nodded. "But we talked about me the other day. I asked about you."

"Oh, you know," Kid Flash said with a shrug, taking a bite of his sandwich, chewing and swallowing before anyone could get a word in edgewise. "I thought it'd be nice to have, same as you."

"Really?" Pyro asked.

"Really."

"I don't know," Pyro began. "I thought that maybe you were a huge fan of the Flash since you wound up with the same powers."

"I…definitely am a big fan of Flash, yeah," Kid Flash replied quickly. "I thought his powers were cool and I wanted to work with him. So, I used a formula, got the powers, then became his sidekick a few weeks later."

"Oh," Pyro replied, looking down, then up. "You must be some kind of genius, then."

"Straight A's in everything," Kid Flash said with a grin. "What about you?"

"Oh, I get A's in the classes I care about," Pyro explained easily. "But the formula you mentioned…where did you mix it?"

"I've got access to a high-tech lab," Kid Flash sniffed, checking his nails. "You know, part of the perks of being a genius."

"That's cool," Pyro said neutrally.

"Yeah that is cool," M'Gann replied with a smile. "You should take us for a tour sometime. You know, if you can."

"Oh, I wish I could, beautiful," Kid Flash said with a pained expression. "But they're kind of secret and stuff."

"So, which illustrious, highly funded lab are we talking about?" Artemis asked with a smirk. "STAR? Waynetech? Maybe the unlikely LuthorCorp?"

"…I'm _not_ at liberty to disclose their exact identity," Kid Flash said after a moment. "It's not a public internship."

"Ah, I see," Artemis said with a slow and thoughtful nod. "You know, if you didn't have a secret identity to protect, I'd question the likelihood of such an internship existed."

"He's likely just a rich-kid whose parents got clout in STAR or something," Pyro said with a nod.

Robin was conspicuously biting his sandwich very, very hard and chewing very slowly as his lips curled into a grin.

"That's probably it," Artemis replied, pointing her finger at Pyro in agreement. "Stupid rich-people powers."

"I mean, you can't really blame people for being born rich," Pyro objected with a shrug. "That's like getting mad at someone for having freckles."

Artemis gulped down the sandwich before speaking. "And wouldn't you know it, Kid Flash has both."

"Har-dee-har-har," Kid Flash gave Artemis a sarcastic glare as both Pyro and her shared a chuckle.

"So, what about you, Aqualad?" Pyro began, turning toward his teammate who had already finished his sandwich. "Those…water-bearers, right? They're clearly magic."

"Indeed," Aqualad nodded. "They assist me in controlling water and are powered by my tattoos, which are also magic."

"They are actually really cool," Pyro nodded. "They teach a lot of magic in Atlantis?"

"Indeed," Aqualad said. "I studied under Queen Mera herself, learning Atlantean Sorcery."

"That's mostly controlling the sea and talking to the sea creatures, am I right?" Pyro asked.

"That is true," Aqualad nodded. "Though in addition to that, we've been able to make modifications to our bodies that allow us to live under the water; namely, breathing."

"So, do you tap into the undersea Ley Lines at all or is it just innate power?" Pyro asked, rolling down his mask now that he had finished eating.

Kid Flash was sitting very, very still, smiling vacantly as he looked straight at Pyro with eyes that said he wanted to do harm just through the gaze.

"It really depends on what we're trying to do," Aqualad replied with a nod. "Ley Lines are usually reserved for large-scale acts of sorcery such as undersea tidal-waves or re-shaping the landscape. Everything else comes from within."

"Huh, I'm jealous," Pyro said, leaning forward with interest. "I have to drink a potion of magic in order to do anything."

"You aren't naturally magical, then?" Aqualad asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Not in the slightest," Pyro nodded. "The whole point of that elemental business was to have some power that I didn't have to ingest poison to get."

"Your potion is poisonous?" Robin asked flatly.

"Not actually, no," Pyro shook his head. "It tastes like it's poison, though."

"Why don't you just add some sugar," Kid Flash asked with a raised eyebrow. "You know, sweeten the magic juice a bit?"

"That could ruin the potion," M'Gann replied with a frown. "I don't know a lot about Magic, myself, but I do know that it's sort of…finnicky?"

Both Pyro and Aqualad started nodded immediately.

"Magic can be somewhat confusing if you aren't used to it's methodology," Aqualad said with certainty.

"It's like that friend who uses absurd technicalities to win any argument," Pyro began, gesturing with his hands like he just placed a box. "Think of two stacks of paper, labeled X and Y. Sane logic dictates that X is not Y. Magic dictates that X is Y because the bottom paper of pile Y is labeled with an X."

"That is a very true analogy," Aqualad nodded with a thoughtful frown. "I like it."

"I believe it," M'Gann said with a shrug, her sandwich untouched. "When I was going to school on Mars, we were visited by a Sorcerer Priest who taught us a little about it. It was a great honor to have him."

"Really?" Kid Flash was awake, alert and enthusiastic at the drop of a pin. "That's…really cool. What did he, uh…tell you about it?"

"Just that it was a strange and complicated thing," M'Gann replied with a shrug. "I don't really think I'd be able to learn about it, so it's great that you two have."

"Uh… _huh_ ," Pyro said, deep in thought. "So, what do your Sorcerer Priests _do_ with their magic, exactly?"

"They're essential for creating the technology behind my bioship," M'Gann said with a look up as she thought. "It's partly magic which is why I don't really know how it works."

"So, they have imbued technology with the Martian's ability to shapeshift," Aqualad began with a nod. "They specialize in Sympathetic magic, then."

"I don't know," M'Gann shrugged. "Sorry."

"I was only guessing," Aqualad replied with a kind smile. "Nothing to apologize for."

"And I think he's right," Pyro added with a nod. "It's clever, too; imbue metal with shapeshifting abilities to make it easier to store? Fantastic."

"I love my ship," M'Gann said brightly. "I'm so glad my Uncle J'onn gave it to me."

"So, question," Robin said, pointing his finger in the air. "Is there magic for infinite batarangs?"

"It's likely," Aqualad responded.

"Yeah, it probably exists," Pyro added with a shrug. "But I don't know how to do that. Do you know how to do that?"

Aqualad shook his head.

"Sorry, Robin," Pyro shook his head. "No infinite batarangs for you. At least not yet."

"That's okay," Robin replied.

"So, M'Gann," Kid Flash piped up, looking at the martian. "I noticed you haven't eaten your sandwich yet."

"Oh, uh…" M'Gann looked at the sandwich in her hands. "I, uh…haven't had bacon before."

"You know, that is the weirdest thing I've ever heard anyone say," Robin replied. "I am counting some of the things I've heard the Joker say…even he enjoys bacon."

"I just wasn't sure if I'd like it," M'Gann said with an uneasy smile.

"Well, there's only one way to find out," Pyro said, leaning forward. "Try it!"

"I don't know…" M'Gann began, looking at the sandwich with trepidation.

"Worst case, it's poison and you vomit it," Kid Flash said with a nod. "We've got stuff for you in the med bay. Remember?"

"Yeah, I guess," M'Gann replied. She took a deep, deep breath. "Alright, here we go."

She closed her eyes and opened her mouth and took a small bite. Then she chewed and swallowed. Then she opened her eyes and they were shining. "This is amazing!"

"BLT's are the ultimate food," Pyro said, nodding slowly. "Confirmed beloved by Humans and Martians."

"It's the most delicious thing on the surface," Aqualad said with his own sagely nod. "Nothing else can even compare."

"I don't know, sushi's pretty good," Pyro postulated, stroking his chin.

"Yes, but I can have that in Atlantis," Aqualad replied. "I cannot have a BLT in Atlantis."

"Too true," Pyro said, pointing with his finger in a 'gotcha' motion.

"I'm going to make another!" M'Gann said happily after finishing her sandwich. She floated off in the direction of the kitchen and flew past Superboy, who was returning to the lounge with a sandwich of his own.

"Who doesn't love bacon?" Artemis asked with a raised eyebrow and a smirk.

"Only those who aren't allowed to have it," Kid Flash replied with narrowed eyes, voice comically low and serious. "They know nothing but jealousy, rage…and baconlessness."

"Amen to that," Robin said with a fist in the air. "…what's on TV?"

"I'll check," Kid Flash almost instantly had the remote in his hand, pressing the power button.

"Hey, Ancient Sorcerer's is on," Pyro pointed out idly as Kid Flash cycled through the on-screen channel guide.

"No, that show is nothing but nonsense," Kid Flash said forcefully _right_ as M'Gann returned, landing right next to him with sandwich in hand. "Not like the Sorcerer Priests and Priestesses of Mars, of course."

Aqualad started rubbing his eyes while Pyro was desperately trying to withhold a nasty chuckle and failing. Kid Flash gave both of them a death-glare over M'Gann's head.

* * *

 _Author's Notes: Next chapter is when I dive into Denial. If you were wondering when the plot was going to happen, that's when. I just felt the need to slow down for a few chapters and show everyone growing acclimated to each other. That, and I promised a reader there'd be a training scene this chapter so here it is._

 _Also, I felt it prudent to show that Pyroclasm is still capable of socializing and he is trying to tone down his caustic nature. Sometimes he succeeds, sometimes he fails. This time he succeeded, if only nothing was given to him to be caustic about. Hope you enjoyed the chapter!_

 _Shout out goes out too_ Melden V, Anders Kronquist, Ray Tony Song, makopaulo, Volkogluk, Aaron Bjornson, iolande, Martin Auguado, Julio, Jiopaba, Hackerham, Tim Collins-Squire, Maben00, Devil's Bite, Sultan Saltlick, PostLifeSyndrome _and_ DarthBane. _You guys are awesome! Thank you so much for your help in making this fic and others like it possible._

 _Until the next time!_

 _~Fulcon_


	9. Chapter 9: Smoked Out

_The following is a fanbased work of fiction. Young Justice is property of DC Comics, Warner Brothers and Greg Weisman – please support the official release._

* * *

The ground of the training room was lit in soft white light, the makeshift arena painted by it in a large circle. In this arena, duking it out was Superboy, the sight of him shirtless bringing the appreciative eyes of M'Gann and Artemis, and Aqualad whose water-bearers rested just outside the arena.

Everyone was in civilian attire, so Kid Flash was Wally, Ms. Martian was M'Gann, Superboy was Conner and Aqualad was Kal'dur. Artemis was Artemis whether in costume or not and Pyroclasm still wore his mask.

The girls stood together at the edge of the arena while the boys in the ring traded blows.

"So, Kal'dur's a nice guy, strong, commanding," Artemis began with a small smile, referring to their aquatic teammate. "You should _totally_ ask him out."

"He's like a big brother to me," M'Gann replied with a shake of her head. "But you know who would make the _cutest_ couple? You…and _Pyro_."

They both looked at Pyro who was standing next to Wally while watching the fight between Kal'dur and Superboy.

"Uh, well…" Artemis began, looking off to the side.

"I mean, you're both so full of passion and you both share a great sense of humor," M'Gann listed off with a smile. "I think you'd be perfect for each other."

Artemis shrugged. "I don't know."

M'Gann's smile got wider. "You both have so much in common, I'm sure you'd be amazing together."

"I mean, I guess," Artemis said, lowering her voice to a whisper. "But you heard him; he's insane. And I've had enough crazy in my life as it is."

"He's not that bad," M'Gann replied with a frown. "Sure, he's a hyper-critical, caustic and does dangerous things just because he can, but he really seems to like you."

"I know," Artemis said with a slow nod. "Like I said, he's great, but…I can't see myself dating him just on principle."

"Too many supervillains?" M'Gann asked with a sad frown.

"Yeah," Artemis said, then she started when she realized what she just said. "I mean, not like I think Pyro's going to go supervillain. Really, he's great. But…there's the risk, you know?"

Standing further off from this conversation was Kid Flash, who was noisily stuffing a burrito into his mouth, and Pyroclasm who was standing with his arms folded.

"So, does the Flash eat as much as you do?" Pyroclasm asked airily.

"Nope," Kid Flash replied, his mouth full of Mexican goodness.

"Really? Huh," Pyroclasm said with a nod. "Why not?"

"Be _cause_ ," Kid Flash began as easily as he had started, then he dragged out the second syllable as he narrowed his eyes to look at his teammate out the edges. "Why are you asking?"

"I was just curious is all," Pyroclasm said with a shrug.

"Well, it's not really appreciated," Kid Flash retorted with a mutter.

"Noted," Pyro replied.

The conversation died then, brutally murdered in its infancy. To the side, the girls shared a giggle. In the, Superboy tripped and slammed Aqualad onto the ground, making a buzzer sound and ending the training match.

"Black Canary taught me that," Superboy said with a grin as Aqualad stood up.

"She taught you well," Aqualad said, standing up slowly, rolling his shoulders.

All attention was caught by the familiar sound of Red Tornado's hatch opening up. Shortly after, the crimson robot descended on a whirling tornado.

"Hey, Red Tornado? You got a mission for us?" Kid Flash asked, zipping forward eagerly.

"Missions are the Batman's responsibility," Red Tornado replied.

"Yeah, but the Batman is off with the Robin in Gotham doing the Dynamic Duo thing," Kid Flash responded, pointing his thumb in the direction of the Zeta Tubes. "So where are you going? Got a hot date? A _miss-ionne?_ "

Red Tornado turned to face Kid Flash properly.

"If we can be of help," Aqualad offered, stepping forward.

Red Tornado called up a series of holograms. "This is Kent Nelson. A friend. He is over one-hundred and six years old."

"That's old," Pyro said, stepping closer to look at the screen, focusing on the image of the old man in a suit, his hair short and well groomed. Of particular interest was the cane, which had a gold handle on the top.

"And he has been missing for twenty-three days," Red Tornado continued, turning to look at the team as he finished bringing up the data. "He was a charter member of the Justice Society, the precursor to your mentor's Justice League."

The image of the old man shifted into the image of Doctor Fate, golden helm and cloak draped over blue shirt and pants that were also plated with gold.

"Of course," Aqualad sounded almost excited. "Nelson was earth's Sorcerer Supreme-"

Pyro barely stopped a chortle by covering his mouth.

"Something funny?" Kid Flash asked with a grin. "I thought you were all over this magic stuff."

"Oh, I don't doubt the abilities of Doctor Fate," Pyro replied, his grin carrying into his voice. "It was just an inside joke that I got reminded of. Sorry, please continue."

"Kent may simply be on one of his," Red Tornado paused briefly to find the right words. "Walkabouts. But he is caretaker to the Helmet of Fate; the source of the Doctor's Mystic Might and it is unwise to leave such power unguarded."

"He is like the great sorcerer priest and priestesses of Mars," M'Gann said with a look of admiration. "I would be honored to help find him."

Kid Flash's hand went up so fast it sounded like a bullet was flying through the air. "Me too! So honored that I can barely stand it. Magic is awesome."

Artemis gave Kid Flash the most deadpan look she could manage, then she looked toward Pyro. He gave her a thumbs up, to which her deadpan expression shifted to a wide, sadistic smirk.

"Take this," Red Tornado held up a golden key and handed it to Aqualad. "It is the key to get into the Tower of Fate."

"What are the chances that we both so admire the mystic arts?" Wally asked M'Gann with a 'seductive' smirk.

"Quick question," Pyro said, holding up a finger.

"Yes, Pyroclasm?" Red Tornado asked.

"You aren't coming?" Pyro asked. "He is your friend, after all."

"Sending the team as well as myself would be inefficient," Red Tornado replied. "And it would be unwise to leave the cave unguarded."

"Well, the team is currently short a member," Pyroclasm pointed out. "Robin's with Batman and if you're really worried about leaving the cave unguarded, send an e-mail to the league that Mount Justice is going dark for an evening, turn off the Zeta Tubes and lock the doors. Leave auxiliary power on at least so we can get back in since we're taking the bioship. Does that make sense?"

"I…" Red Tornado trailed off for a second. "Suppose I could come along, if the team does not mind my company."

"It _is_ his friend, after all," Pyro said, turning to Aqualad. "Worst case, something happened to Nelson and we'll have a Leaguer as additional firepower. If not, then Red Tornado spends a few hours catching up with his buddy while we gape in awe at the magical doodads around the tower."

Aqualad hummed in thought, tapping his chin. "Would it be too much trouble to secure Mount Justice?"

"I do not believe so," Red Tornado replied. "Following Pyroclasm's specifications would give the appearance that the cave is not operational if anyone were to come looking while we are gone."

"Then I do not believe there is a problem with you coming along," Aqualad said with a nod.

* * *

The team, plus Red Tornado packed up into the Bioship and assumed positions at the consoles. With the coordinates supplied by their guest, they were able to take off. As the door to the moon pool closed behind them, Mt. Justice went dark. M'Gann pitched the bioship up and out of the water and they were on their way.

"So, Wally," Artemis began with a smirk. "When did you gain your honest appreciation for Sorcery?"

"Oh, I've always known Magic is real," Wally said, leaning back in his chair with his hands behind his back. "Before I became Kid Flash, I seriously considered becoming a Wizard."

"So why didn't you?" Pyro asked with an earnestness that belied the smug grin growing under his mask. "You know, after becoming Kid Flash?"

"Well, I, uh, just didn't have the time," Wally said quickly, leaning forward. "Being a wizard and learning spells is hard work, right?"

"It can be," Pyro replied slowly. "If you don't have a reliable source of information. But you could've asked Flash to introduce you to Zatara whose got a lot of information on the subject."

"Hey, I'm a busy guy," Wally retorted hotly. "Zatara's probably busy too, what with all of his Magic shows, League Business…"

"Well, Black Canary's our Den Mother, Batman's our Mission Manager," Pyro listed off. "Clearly civilian identities aren't that big of a problem. Besides, even if he doesn't want, you know, to tutor you, you could just ask for a Spell Book or a Grimoire for independent study…"

"Yeah, but whose got the time to poor through an old-tomes, deciphering barely legible font?" Wally asked, folding his arms and leaning back into his seat.

"Excuses, excuses," Artemis shook her head with mock-disappointment. "I think the real problem is that you're lazy."

"I think you're right," Pyro said, nodding quickly. "I wonder if Flash has to drag him out of bed when it's time to patrol the city."

Artemis started laughing. "He'd be in costume and out the door before he even realized what was happening!"

"Hey, I'm not lazy," Kid Flash retorted hotly. "I recreated the science experiment that gave the Flash his powers in my parent's _garage_."

"Did you really?" Pyroclasm's mirth was gone, replaced with immediate and rapt attention.

"I…yeah…" Kid Flash said haltingly as what he said dawned on him with creeping horror. Then he pointed at Pyro. " _No_."

Pyro simply chuckled and looked forward.

"Pyro," Kid Flash growled venomously. "I mean it. Do not do what you're thinking of doing."

"I'm not allowed to inject myself with anything without League approval," Pyro replied easily, popping his knuckles. "Not without booting myself off of the team, anyway. So you're safe."

"Good," Kid Flash growled.

"Perhaps we should shelve this topic for the future," Kal'dur said with a frown.

"I just want to help someone who is so passionate about the mystic arts get involved in the thing he loves," Pyroclasm continued with a sly look.

"Pyroclasm," Kal'dur replied with a glare. "Enough."

" _Fine_ ," Pyro sighed in a huff.

"I believe the discussion that Pyroclasm and Wallace wish to have is one that should wait until we have returned to the cave," Red Tornado, from his seat in the back, interjected. "It is not one that can be done on a mission without compromising teamwork at a crucial time."

"Thank you, Red Tornado," Kal'dur said relief.

"Say, Red Tornado?" Pyro interjected with a raised finger. "Is there a chance that I can meet with Zatara or at least get a spare Grimoire for independent study?"

"Zatara has expressed a desire to meet you," Red Tornado responded. "In particular, he was curious about your 'Prometheus Rite'."

"Ah, excellent," Pyro said with a nod. "Once I've assured him that my soul's not going to spontaneously combust, we can talk shop for a spell."

Kal'dur found himself fighting a grin that was making its way over his face over the pun.

M'Gann hummed as she looked over the navigation console. "We're approaching your coordinates, Red Tornado, but I don't see anything."

"The tower is kept in a mystic sanctuary," Red Tornado replied. "It prevents those who should not see from doing so. The Key creates an exception for those who possess it, which is why it's necessary."

"That is valuable to know," Kal'dur acknowledged with a nod. "Ms. Martian, take us down."

"I'm reading a pair of heat signatures in that abandoned theatre over there," Pyroclasm said, pointing across the street from the park the Bioship was landing in. "As well as some kind of plasma discharge; likely, it's torture."

"Do you sense anything else?" Red Tornado asked with a hint of curiosity.

"…no?" Pyroclasm replied thoughtfully. "I don't think so. I got something weird coming from a cat in the alleyway but it's hard to make out…now the cat's going into the theatre. I don't like this."

"That is likely Nelson and his captures. Even if it isn't, we should move to rescue them before continuing on," Kal'dur said, standing up. "Kid Flash, Artemis, go to the roof of the theatre and scout the inside. Ms. Martian, link us up. Pyro, stay with the ship, you'll be in charge of tracking our targets inside and keeping Tornado up to date on our communications since he cannot be linked telepathically. Superboy, you're with me, we're taking point. Red Tornado, if you'd join us?"

"Certainly," Red Tornado replied.

 _Is everyone online?_ M'Gann asked.

 _Copy that,_ Pyro said, undoing is seat-buckle and leaning back. _You guys let me know if you need something burnt down._

 _Will do,_ Artemis replied.

The team exited the vehicle and rushed across the street. Artemis withdrew a grapple hook from within her jacket and shot up to the roof alongside Wally. Aqualad called for a halt with a hand-sign and the three paused outside of the theatre's main entrance.

 _We're inside,_ Artemis thought. _Found one of the upper boxes. There's three people, one of them is Nelson._

 _Abra Kadabra's one of them – I don't recognize the other guy. Also,_ Wally thought urgently. _They're heading for the entrance._

"Nelson's inside," Pyro reported over the comms. "They're each coming for the entrance. Also, three? I only sense two."

"Understood," Red Tornado replied.

 _Well, there's three_ , Artemis retorted.

 _Are you counting the cat?_ Pyro asked.

 _No, we're counting the guy_ holding _the cat,_ Artemis said exasperatedly.

 _Uh-oh_ , Pyro thought.

 _Here's the plan,_ Kal'dur thought, taking command. _We charge through the door while Kid Flash and Artemis flank behind. While we're distracting his captors, Kid Flash and Artemis will pull Kent away and we can subdue Abra Kadabra and his accomplice. If we cannot subdue them, we will retreat to the Tower of Fate. Understood?_

 _Got it,_ Kid Flash thought.

 _Got it,_ Superboy also thought.

"Tornado, Aqualad and Superboy are charging in the front to act as distraction, Kid Flash and Artemis are saving Kent in the confusion," Pyro relayed dutifully. "Subdue captors if possible, retreat to tower if not. Understood?"

"I understand," Red Tornado replied. The best part about having a robot on communication was that he didn't actually need to speak into a microphone to make himself heard – he just sent the words he wanted to speak directly through the transmitter and anyone on the system could hear it.

"Good. They're almost to the trio," Pyro said easily.

 _Alright, go!_ Aqualad said, making a signal to attack.

Red tornadoes engulphed the Android's hands as he pushed forward, knocking in the boarded-up doors with his metal shoulder and sending a veritable hurricane of wind down straight.

The trio, which included Kent Nelson and his two captures, were immediately caught by surprise. Abra Kadabra, wearing a white tunic with a gold-chain necklace, found himself swept up by the gusts. Klarion the Witch Boy, who was wearing a tuxedo with long sleeves, sent a wave of red, chaotic energy roiled against the winds, surging toward the entrance. Kent was also sent backward by the gale, only to be caught by Kid Flash who zipped off to one of the top boxes with him.

"No, no, NO!" Klarion shouted at the top of his lungs, clawed fingers cackling with red energy as he swiped forward, sending out waves of destruction. "I want that helmet! I want it, I want it, I want it! NOW!"

 _That's Klarion the Witch Boy,_ Aqualad thought, diving out of the way of the chaos wave and raising his water bearers as a shield. _This is not a fight we can win, retreat to the tower._

 _Wait, seriously?_ Pyro asked. _Huh. Well, that explains why I couldn't sense him – he's a Lord of Chaos._

 _Wouldn't you be able to sense him, seeing as how your,_ Kid Flash struggled to continue the sentence while setting Kent down on the roof of the theatre, _soul is literally made of fire now? That's what you did, right?_

 _No,_ Pyro replied. _Fire is just fire. It's not really predisposed toward Order or Chaos. The person who wields it might be, but I'm much more of an Order type of guy._

 _Aren't you just trying to grab whatever powerup you can?_ Kid Flash Objected.

Red Tornado brought a gale around the edges of the entrance lobby of the theatre, slamming the doors to the theatre itself closed and barricading it with a flying counter.

 _Resume this topic later!_ Aqualad ordered. _Kid Flash and Artemis, bring Kent to the tower. Superboy, barricade the door on our way out._

"Red Tornado, Aqualad and Superboy are making to leave," Pyro relayed. "Abra Kadabra his head on the wall, so you only need to worry about Klarion and I have no idea where he is. I do know that his cat is trying to rush across the street to the park. Just to be safe, I'd haul it with Kent."

 _Got it,_ Artemis thought.

Aqualad sent a wave of water down at the Witch Boy, who was stomping forward and slinging bolts of red energy at them. Aqualad stepped out first, then Red Tornado, whose gales and gusts of wind were doing nothing besides making Klarion's tails and sleeves flutter in the wind. Superboy went last, holding a large counter and placing it in front of the door.

The trio bolted across the street, reuniting with Kid Flash, Artemis and Kent.

"Red Tornado, my old friend," Kent said as Artemis took the collar off of his neck. He rubbed it as he continued. "It's been a while. Good to see you."

"And you," Red Tornado replied. "I do not believe we have much time."

"Indeed," Kent replied with a smile. "Did you bring your key with you? I misplaced mine."

"Here," Aqualad stepped forward and handed him the golden key.

"Ah, excellent," Kent said, taking it. "I think we should all head inside before Klarion catches up with us."

 _Ah, should I touch down so I can come with?_ Pyroclasm asked.

The theatre's front exploded across the street, and out of the flames stepped Klarion, looking angry, his eyes having shrunken to a pair of red dots on his face.

 _Hurry,_ Aqualad thought. "We have one more teammate up in the air. He needs to join us."

"He can come in through the roof," Kent replied, raising the key to a point in the air and turning. "Tell him to bring the helmet with him."

 _You heard him,_ Aqualad thought with a frown, holding up a water shield to provide some barrier between Klarion and the team.

 _I did,_ Pyro agreed.

The air in front of the team shimmered for a second before a massive, stone tower appeared in front of them with great golden doors. Kent pushed them open and the team followed, watching the Bioship land on the roof.

They came to a lobby, two stair-cases in the back going up to a series of doors. A hologram of Kent appeared with a golden sheen. "Kent, you have returned. It has been a while-"

"It has," Kent replied, accidentally cutting off the hologram. "Can you allow that young man on the roof to come directly to the base of the tower? He's fetching the Helmet for me."

The Hologram dissipated and a hole in the ceiling opened up with the sound of rushing flames getting closer as Pyroclasm descended from the top on roaring jets of flame coming out of his back, holding the helmet in one hand.

"Okay, flames are strong enough to actually slow a fall," Pyroclasm surmised easily as he touched down on the ground. "Good to know."

"You could've just let the tower carry you down," Kent said with a raised eyebrow. "It would've slowed your fall enough that you wouldn't have been injured."

"Didn't want to take the chance," Pyroclasm replied, holding the helmet out to Kent. "Call me paranoid."

"No, I understand," Kent said, taking the helmet, then stopping, his eyes growing in alarm. "Wait…what did you do to your soul?"

"I glued a fire elemental to it," Pyro answered with a shrug.

"You did _what_?" Kent asked, alarm growing.

"Exactly what I just said," Pyroclasm replied without so much as an inkling of irritation.

"Are you mad, boy?" Kent asked in anger born of worry.

Pyro simply nodded.

Kent started sputtering in disbelief, shaking his head.

"Kent, I believe it would be prudent to put on the helmet immediately," Red Tornado said. "Without Doctor Fate, I do not believe we have any chance of defeating Klarion."

"You're right, old friend," Kent took a breath, raised the helmet up and placed it on his head.

Immediately, he was bathed in the golden light of Order, wearing the cloak and costume of Doctor Fate.

"Red Tornado," Doctor Fate said, his voice a blend of Nabu and Kent's own in unison. "It has been far too long."

"Indeed," Red Tornado replied. "Now that you are here, we should be able to defeat Klarion."

"The Tower itself should be secure from Klarion himself," Doctor Fate began. "Red Tornado, you and I should be enough to contain Klarion and his accomplice properly."

"Wait, what about us?" Kid Flash asked indignantly.

"We can help handle both of them," Ms. Martian offered quickly.

"You have all done more than enough to assist us in dealing with Klarion," Doctor Fate replied easily. "You can further assist us by securing the tower and ensuring that Klarion does not enter."

"I thought the tower was already secure?" Artemis asked, eyes narrowing.

"Indeed, it is," Doctor Fate replied. "You can help by keeping it that way."

 _Translation,_ Kid Flash started angrily. _We did the small job and now we can sit back and watch the adults handle it because he thinks we're just a bunch of kids._

 _I think it's got more to do with the fact that that's a_ Lord of Chaos _out there,_ Pyroclasm argued hotly, bringing his causticity fully to bear. _There's such a thing as biting off more than we can chew, and if you look up the definition in a dictionary, it has a picture of Klarion the freaking Witch Boy. We're fine where we are._

Red Tornado and Doctor Fate opened the doors and walked out, flying off as the entrance closed behind them.

 _We can handle an emo-pilgrim,_ Kid Flash argued back. _He's just got some…kind of mystic energy blasts, nothing too fancy._

 _That's not what you were going to say,_ Pyroclasm replied.

 _You're full of it,_ Kid Flash retorted angrily.

 _No, I think you were going to suggest he was using something else,_ Pyroclasm pressed angrily. _Something more…mundane? Before defaulting to a vaguely mystical explanation that doesn't require you to actually explain what he's doing._

 _I have no idea what you're talking about,_ Kid Flash continued to resist. _I firmly believe that everything that 'Witch Boy' was doing was completely in line with the mystic arts._

 _Enough,_ Aqualad ordered. _We have been asked to secure the tower so that is what we are going to do._

"Fine by me," Pyroclasm said out loud. "Tower, can we get a map so we can actually do the job we were assigned by Doctor Fate?"

A corkboard seemed to ascend out of the floor like it was being raised out of water. On it was pinned a map of the tower and a series of sticky-notes with notes like 'Hall of Infinite Stairs' and 'Conduit to the Burn' or 'The Clear'.

"Let's divide up the tower," Aqualad said, taking a breath as he analyzed the map.

None of them noticed a pair of dull red eyes looking out at them from underneath a dresser.

* * *

 _Author's Notes: One of the things I noticed when going over the episode Denial is that it's not actually a mission, per se, it was Red Tornado going to check up on his friend and then he…sent the team to check up on his friend. Instead of himself. That just seemed odd to me, so I had Pyro convince him to come along. I believe Red Tornado might still have some confusion about social norms and other things, which is why I think the confusion on his end might warrant a pass. Then we get Pyro picking up immediately on the heat signatures of Kent and Abra Kadabra and they more or less are able to rescue him right away in confusion._

 _Of course, this is not the end of the episode. What kind arc would this be if I ended with a Lord of Chaos getting such a poor showing? No, there's more for him to do. I don't believe there's anything else, but I hope you enjoyed the chapter._

 _Shout out goes out too_ Melden V, Anders Kronquist, Ray Tony Song, makopaulo, Volkogluk, Aaron Bjornson, iolande, Martin Auguado, Julio, Jiopaba, Hackerham, Tim Collins-Squire, Maben00, Devil's Bite, Sultan Saltlick, PostLifeSyndrome _and_ DarthBane. _You guys are the best, thank you for your continued support!_

 _Until the next time!_

 _~Fulcon_


	10. Chapter 10: Burnt Out

_The following is a fanbased work of fiction. Young Justice is property of DC Comics, Warner Brothers and Greg Weisman – please support the official release._

* * *

"You are not authorized to enter the Conduit to the Burn," The Hologram of Kent said matter-of-factly.

"But what if I need to get to The Burn in case of emergency?" Pyro asked without a hint of being perturbed or frustrated.

"If that was necessary, you would not do so through the Conduit," The Hologram replied. "It is not a portal."

The Conduit was just beyond the door. It was labeled by a brass plaque with the name 'Conduit to the Burn' engraved on it. The door itself looked to be made of dark mahogany wood with a shining, golden handle. Continuing down the hall on both sides were other doors similarly marked as 'Conduit to the Clear' and 'Conduit to the Red'.

Pyroclasm didn't respond immediately. "If it's not a portal, then what is it?"

"A conduit draws power from a plane of existence for the purpose of drawing power from that plane for a specific purpose," The Hologram answered. "Turning the floor into lava in the case of tower security is one such use of the Conduit to the Burn."

 _And Pyro's quest for more power is thwarted yet again,_ Kid Flash snarked over the telepathic link.

 _Three doors down, a million more to go,_ Pyroclasm replied calmly.

"It's a syphon, got it," Pyroclasm nodded. "Disappointing but not entirely unexpected. Of course, since we were put in charge of securing the tower, I suppose we would be authorized, wouldn't we?"

"The tower is open to all guests of Doctor Fate and their pets," The Hologram replied. "You do not need access to each individual room even if you are 'securing' the tower."

 _Well that's lame_ , Pyroclasm thought, turning to walk away.

 _Cheer up, Pyro,_ Ms. Martian thought back encouragingly. _You can still look at the Library. He's got a lot of books here. That's something you'd like, right?_

 _Yeah, looking at pages and pages of mystical tomes would be right up your alley,_ Kid Flash added quickly. _It's probably fascinating!_

 _Well, then I suppose you should get over there, Wally_ , Artemis replied. _After all, this is a once in a lifetime opportunity to achieve your dream of being a wizard._

 _Uh, I wouldn't really say it was a_ dream _of mine, per se,_ Wally said back nervously. _I mean I seriously considered it, but I think I've put that behind me. I still admire the mystic arts, though!_

 _No reason you couldn't do both,_ Artemis answered in a sing-song voice. _Live your life without regrets, Wally! If you don't look at that massive repository of arcane knowledge, you'll never forgive yourself!_

 _She right, Wally, I think you - wait,_ Pyroclasm spun on his heels. "What did you mean by pets?"

"The tower allows all manner of pets brought by guests," The Hologram replied. "Up to, and including demons from the pits of Hell."

"Under what circumstance would a guest of Doctor Fate have a demon from Hell as a _pet_?" Pyro asked inexplicably.

"To fight the Forces of The Balance, the Lords of Order and Chaos are forced to work together," The Hologram answered. "The Lords of Chaos are somewhat fond of the practice."

"Fascinating," Pyro said, before shaking his head. "We're getting off track. Did the group bring a pet inside when they came in?"

"Yes, a small house cat came inside the door behind them," The Hologram replied.

"Can you sense the cat now?" Pyro asked, panic starting to seep into his voice.

"No," The Hologram replied. "If the cat is an intruder, the tower cannot expel the cat until it is located."

 _Oh crap._

 _What do you mean, 'oh crap'?_ Kid Flash demanded. _Can't you sense its thermal signature?_

 _No!_ Pyro barked back. _I can't! I lost track of it when I was grabbing the Helmet of Fate!_

 _How does grabbing a Helmet cause you to lose track of a house cat?_ Kid Flash asked incredulously.

 _Grabbing that thing made all my hairs stand up on end,_ Pyro replied, taking a deep breath to calm down. _It was freaky. Besides, how did_ you _guys let a cat sneak in behind you?_

 _Pyroclasm, Kid Flash, enough,_ Aqualad said, his weariness at being peacemaker once again becoming apparent. _We need to find this cat and quickly._

 _Uh, why?_ Kid Flash asked. _I mean, I guess it can be super intelligent, but what could a cat -_

 _That cat is probably Klarion's familiar_ , Pyro replied. _Lord of Chaos and Order need a link to the mortal plane to remain here. The Helmet is Doctor Fate's link. The cat is Klarion's. We destroy the cat, we send Klarion back where he came from._

 _Wait, if the cat is such a problem, then why would he send it into the tower?_ Kid Flash asked.

 _For one, it can let Klarion into the tower should he need to come inside,_ Pyro responded. _Second, if it's in here, Doctor Fate can't destroy it from out there. Seeing as how the Helmet is out there with Klarion, the Witch-boy has an unfair advantage._ Makes sense?

 _Got it,_ Kid Flash thought back. _So, the cat acts as an anchor to prevent dimensional pushback – uh…_

 _Yes, that's what I just said,_ Pyro cut him off abruptly. _Glad you were paying attention._

 _Yeah, I was paying attention,_ Kid Flash felt somewhat relieved and that leaked into his tone of voice. _I'm not an idiot._

 _Wait, did I just-?_ Pyro thought to himself before quieting his frustration with himself.

 _Superboy, can you find the cat?_ Aqualad asked quickly.

 _With x-ray vision?_ Superboy thought back. _No. No I can't. Can we hurry this up? This place is giving me a headache._

 _I can run a circuit in the tower,_ Kid Flash said. _See if I can catch it._

 _Do it. Pyroclasm and Artemis, meet up on floor three and search that floor plus floors four and five,_ Aqualad started. _Superboy, you and Miss Martian will search floors one and two. I will search floor one and the Hall of Infinite Stairs. Kid Flash, once you have completed your circuit, join me there and we'll go from there._

 _Understood. I'll open a channel to Red Tornado and let him know,_ Pyro said, walking forward and taking the turn. "Red Tornado, this is Pyroclasm. Klarion's Familiar has infiltrated the tower and we're setting up a search pattern."

"Understood. I'll ensure Doctor Fate knows and we can focus on denying them access to the tower," Red Tornado responded.

* * *

With a pained groan, Abra Kadabra sat up. His vision was bleary and he found a large lump forming on the back of his neck.

He stretched out his hand, searching for his wand with slow moving fingers. "Where is it? Where is it?"

His hand eventually found the smooth, thin black stick that had become his life-blood in the twenty-first century.

 _Biometrics Matched. Welcome, Citizen Abra,_ The Wand communicated directly to his ear-drums.

 _Initiate medical protocols,_ Abra thought back, thankful once again that his technology could be interfaced with through his thoughts. If he had to use the manual interface that everything else in this time-period so heavily relied on, he was sure to have gone mad.

 _Please press Wand to the injured extremity._

Abra did so, feeling a pleasing, relaxing feeling coming over his goose-egg as the wand released a stream of medical gel to soothe the irritation and repair the damage. His vision cleared almost immediately.

With that done, Abra stood up and stretched, paying careful attention to the sounds of energy discharges coming from outside. He rushed up to the door and looked outside.

 _Oh. Oh no, that's not good_ , Abra thought as he watched Klarion the Witchboy exchange blasts of energy with Earth's Sorcerer Supreme, Doctor Fate while Red Tornado was running interference, throwing crimson tornados at the Lord of Chaos.

 _Well, actually that won't do much other than annoy him,_ Abra thought back, ducking underneath the window when it looked like Red Tornado had glanced in his direction. _Unless they do something to his cat, Klarion is here to stay. So on to more pressing matters; how did they find us?_

There wasn't a lot of things that could get around sensor jamming technology from the sixty-fourth century. Things like thermal imaging, x-rays, echolocation and others would simply have picked up an empty theatre. A Green Lantern Ring could've done it, but there wasn't a Lantern here. The Flash could do it, simply because he was fast enough to be able to _look_ , provided he had a general idea of where to look. But The Flash wasn't here. His slow, pathetic brat was.

Which meant that the means of detection they used was most likely magical in nature. Abra found both his curiosity roused and his pride wounded. _Oh sure, use the one thing I can't. Go ahead and flaunt it! I'll find you and when I do…_

He shook his head. _Don't get distracted. If I shut down Red Tornado, it should be significantly easier to deal with Doctor Fate himself and with his helmet, we can enter the Tower and all the Arcane Knowledge inside will be_ mine.

With a wave of his wand and a mental command, he created an optical camouflage field around him and phased through the wall to the theatre, floating over to the park.

The park itself was a mess, engulphed in a massive tornado that randomly threw bits of junk and debris that it had picked up at Klarion, who was caught in the middle, throwing red balls of chaotic energy at Doctor Fate, who was floating high in the sky and bombarding the Lord of Chaos with bright beams of golden lights from summoned ankhs.

"Give it up Nabu!" Klarion shouted over the din, disappearing from one place and appearing on another as a flying mailbox crashed into the spot he was just in. "That host of yours is old and worn out! Won't be long before it _breaks_!"

 _That's a good point_ , Abra thought as a flying park bench flew through his intangible form. _Say, I wonder if I might be able to give Klarion the opening he needs to bring down Doctor Fate. Then we take down Tornado and everything works out._

Abra flew in slowly and carefully, occasionally being distracted as things flew through him, watching in morbid fascination as a poor little dog was flung through him at high speed. With the shake of his head, he continued on, floating right behind the golden sorcerer. He raised his wand.

 _Set electrical discharge level to very high,_ Abra thought. While keeping it at very low was necessary to keep Nelson alive during the weeks of torture to attempt to get into the Tower, it was not necessary now for obvious reasons.

 _Warning; Very High Discharge will be lethal,_ The Wand replied. _Continue?_

 _Yes_ , Abra replied with a nod. _Disable phase-shifting, enable climate stabilization for anti-gravity._

With that, Abra was solid and he jammed his wand right in Doctor Fate's back. The Doctor's unified voices cried out in shock and pain.

"Finally!" Klarion shouted at the top of his lungs with sadistic glee, lobbing a large ball of red energy at the Doctor.

Abra quickly got out from behind Doctor Fate as he took the ball right to the chest. The Doctor went down, the glow fading and the tunic and accoutrements being replaced with Kent's business suit. Kent Nelson hit the ground with a thud, making a small crater.

"Yes, yes, YES!" Klarion shouted, trembling fists held up in excitement. "That helmet is mine!"

 _Now to deal with Tornado,_ Abra thought as the corpse was suddenly picked up by a gust of wind, right into Tornado's waiting arms.

"No!" Klarion's face immediately went from one of happy excitement to unyielding rage as Red Tornado immediately took the helmet up off of Kent's head. "Stop that!"

 _Fire stasis webbing at that Android,_ Abra barked, pointing his wand at Tornado.

A net made of synthesized electrified wire flew down at the robot, who rapidly ascended on a tornado to dodge it. Klarion attempted to make a jagged pentagram on the ground beneath Red Tornado, but the walls couldn't rise fast enough to stop him from flying over it.

Abra fired another net, then another, and was dodged each time with machine-like efficiency. Then Tornado yanked the door to the Tower of Fate open and pulled it shut behind him and just like that, the tower disappeared from view.

Looking squarely at Klarion, Abra slowly flew backwards and away from the Lord of Chaos.

"Abra!" Klarion shouted. "Get over here!"

 _Uh oh_ , Abra thought, swallowing a bit of bile that had risen up to his throat and complied.

"I need you to stand _right here_ ," Klarion said, pointing to a spot of grass that had been torn up by Red Tornado's power. "And wait for Teekl to open the door for us."

"Your Cat is inside the tower?" Abra asked with a frown.

" _Yes_ ," Klarion hissed with a smile that was far too wide and had far to many teeth for any child to have. "Now stand here while I show my appreciate for our dear departed friend over there."

"How did it avoid detection?" Abra asked, scratching his head.

"Magic."

"What-"

" _Magic_."

"But the Tower is-"

"MAGIC!"

* * *

 _-Several Minutes Earlier-_

"So, how did you get into the mystic arts?" Artemis asked, pointing her bow down a row of bookshelves.

"Oh, I've been fascinated with them since forever," Pyroclasm replied, looking down the aisle opposite his partner. "When I was about three years old, I saw a magic show by Zatara and that really cemented magic as something I wanted to get into. Seemed like a relatively easy way to get super powers."

They were in the library, a truly massive room lined with bookshelves that somehow also contained bookshelves. Painted on the ceiling was a golden mural depicting Nabu and the other Lords of Order majestically creating and maintaining the universe.

"So, you just got into it for power," Artemis stated with a raised eyebrow.

"Yup," Pyro replied, stepping forward and looking down an aisle. "Felt like the sane thing to do, what with supervillains causing so much death and despair on a regular basis, I didn't want to be a victim."

"That actually makes a lot sense," Artemis muttered to herself.

"How about you?" Pyro asked, turning to watch her walk past several aisles with her bow down.

"Oh, I'm not magic," Artemis said, waving it off.

"No, but have you thought about getting into it?" Pyroclasm elaborated with a gesture.

"Well, I didn't consider it until I met you," Artemis replied with a shrug.

"If you wanted, I could give you a few pointers," Pyroclasm offered.

"Hm…I guess it could be useful," Artemis said, shrugging. "Just…I don't know, aren't you worried that the thing you glued to your soul is going to start messing with your mind or something?"

Pyroclasm shook his head.

"Why not?" Artemis asked with a frown.

"Because the elemental didn't have a soul," Pyroclasm replied. "It didn't have a mental component either, so it's completely underneath my control. It _is_ me. Why do you ask?"

Artemis didn't answer immediately. "Don't take this the wrong way."

Pyroclasm didn't waited for her to finish, remaining quiet and attentive, hands folded behind his back.

"You just seem like you would do anything for power," Artemis continued with an uncomfortable frown on her face. "The whole gluing stuff to your soul, wanting to inject Kobra Venom, installing cybernetics. It just seems like if something gave you power even if it was insanely risky."

"I suppose I have given that image," Pyroclasm answered. "But my answer to that is that I won't do anything for power."

"You won't," Artemis replied with a raised eyebrow and disbelieving tone.

"Of course not," Pyroclasm replied. "I have rules."

Artemis blinked and tilted her head. "What kind of rules?"

"For starters, I don't do something if there's a non-negligible risk of it harming me in some manner," Pyroclasm began, the pair walking side by side, still checking the book cases of the library. "If there is a risk, I either minimize the risks as much as I can, refine it until the risks are gone, or try something else entirely."

"Minimize them how?" Artemis asked.

"Well, either by making them easily undoable in case of emergency or by figuring out a way around what's causing the risk in the first place," Pyroclasm replied. "Like, take my anti-telepathy chip. The main risk was that my skull would close in on the chip, break it and I'd wind up with mechanical bits in my brain. So, I got around it by suppressing my healing factor during the surgery and placed a few runes on the chip to try to fool my body into thinking that the chip was a part of my body."

"And it obviously worked," Artemis with a thoughtful expression.

"So far, yeah," Pyroclasm replied. "But if the runes get rubbed off in my skull or they weaken or something and my skull starts fusing shut again, then it's just sitting in my skull and I can get it removed fairly quickly."

"Well, that's a relief," Artemis said with a nod. "Any other rules?"

"Don't cause harm to someone else," Pyroclasm answered. "That ones pretty self-explanatory; if I've got a ritual that will give me phenomenal cosmic power but it requires the blood of a dead virgin girl, that ritual is just never being performed. Ever."

Artemis hummed and nodded.

"So, if you're worried that my getting you magical powers will cause you to develop undue personality defects," Pyroclasm started with a shrug. "While I don't blame you because accidents happen, but I also don't think you've got much to worry about."

Artemis tossed the thought around in her head. "Maybe we can talk about it later."

"Fair enough," Pyroclasm nodded. "Shame I don't have more time to peruse the library, I'd love to just sit in here and soak in the arcane knowledge."

"You think Doctor Fate will let you stick around for a few hours after this whole thing with…what's his name, Klarion?" Artemis asked with a frown.

"That's right."

"After this whole thing with Klarion blows over," Artemis suggested.

"I hope so," Pyro said, looking up at the ceiling mural. "By the way, that was good thinking of actually using our voices to keep our conversation private."

"Oh, thank you," Artemis replied with a smile. _It's mostly just that I think the telepathy is kind of weird still, but hey, I'll take the compliment – wait…_

As Pyroclasm started to crack up in laughter, Artemis face-palmed and groaned in frustration.

"Hey, either way, it works," Pyroclasm replied, the smile carrying on his voice.

"I guess it does," Artemis said, a good-natured smile of her own growing on her face.

 _What were you guys talking about?_ Kid Flash asked.

 _Nothing,_ Pyro and Artemis replied at the same time.

A static-sound buzzed as the comm units came to life. "Team. Come in, Team."

"This is Aqualad," Aqualad said quickly. "We're listening Tornado."

"Doctor Fate has fallen," Red Tornado replied, his voice still robotic.

"Oh no," Aqualad said with shock.

"That's bad," Pyro added, the only change to his easy tone being a slight edge to his voice.

"I have the Helmet of Fate and am in the Lobby," Red Tornado continued without missing a beat. "Have any of you found Klarion's Familiar?"

"Nope."

"Nuh-uh."

"Negative."

"No cats around."

"Haven't seen anything."

"Is it just me," Artemis began. "Or are a lot of our problems caused by cats? First Cheshire, then this."

"If our next adventure has a mishap caused by a cat, I'll believe you're on to something," Pyroclasm replied. "How'd they take out Doctor Fate?"

"Abra Kadabra used stealth to maneuver behind Doctor Fate and stab him in the back with a high-powered taser," Red Tornado reported. "Klarion was then able to take the final shot."

"Huh. What did he use, Optical Camouflage and Phase Shifting?" Artemis asked with interest.

"Abra Kadabra?" Kid Flash asked. "Absolutely. The Flash proved the guy was a fake and that everything he does is really just technology from the far future. Not at _all_ like that Klarion kid who is _clearly_ a true master of the mystic arts!"

"I wonder how much he understands about the technology he uses," Pyroclasm mused. "Aqualad, I recommend that Red Tornado stay in the Lobby to prevent the cat from letting Klarion inside."

"I agree," Aqualad replied. "Red Tornado? Please remain there. Kid Flash, fetch the helmet."

"You got it," Kid Flash responded, followed by the tell-tale sound of whooshing air that was cut off when Kid Flash turned off his comm unit.

"I'm sorry for your loss, Red Tornado," Ms. Martian said with a frown. "I know you were friends."

"I appreciate the sentiment, Ms. Martian," Red Tornado replied. "But we will have time to mourn after the crises is dealt with."

"Anyone have a plan?" Superboy asked flatly.

"I believe that one of you will need to put on the Helmet of Fate," Red Tornado replied. "We will need the might of the Lord of Order to turn Klarion away."

"Let's have Pyro do it," Kid Flash said. "He's the one that's all magical and stuff."

"There isn't enough money on the planet to get me to put that thing on," Pyroclasm replied flatly.

"Wait, why not?" Ms. Martian asked.

"Because going for a power-up that deliberately cedes control of my body to someone or something else violates one of my rules," Pyroclasm explained, folding his arms defiantly. "Absolutely not. _No._ "

"What's the rule?" Artemis asked with a frown.

"That's the rule," Pyroclasm replied with a point.

"But we need Doctor Fate," Aqualad said quickly.

"Then you put on the Helmet," Pyroclasm replied neutrally. "You're just as magical as me. More so, actually, since you were born with it."

Aqualad took a moment to reply. "A fair point. Kid Flash, bring the Helmet to me, I will do what Pyroclasm will not."

"Thank you," Pyroclasm replied.

"Wait, what's the deal with the helmet?" Kid Flash asked with suspicion. "If it's really dangerous then I don't think anyone should put it on."

"Unless I'm mistaken, the problem is that you can't take the helmet off willingly," Pyroclasm replied. "Your body becomes temporary property of Nabu, the Lord of Order inhabiting the helmet. It's only temporary in that it's his until he deigns to remove the helmet himself."

"Ah, gotcha," Kid Flash replied. "So that's a _no_ on putting on the Helmet."

"We don't have a choice," Aqualad responded grimly. "We need the Doctor to fight Klarion."

"Come on, that's not exactly true," Kid Flash replied. "We just need to find Klarion's cat."

"A task that will be significantly easier with Doctor Fate active," Aqualad explained steely. "This is his Tower and it obeys his commands."

"But the Tower can't expel the cat until it's located," Pyroclasm argued. "Some sort of stealth magic."

"Right, yeah. Stealth magic that it wasn't using until you happened to grab the Helmet of Fate," Kid Flash snarked. "ADHD much? Besides, this helmet isn't really anything special. I'm holding it just fine."

"Well, that and I got really preoccupied with not falling to my death," Pyroclasm responded. "You try keeping track of everything when a sky-scraper length hole opens up beneath your feet."

"Kid Flash," Aqualad barked out, letting his anger out over the comms. "Pyroclasm. After this mission, the two of you _will_ resolve your differences. Until then, you will only speak to each other on mission related terms. This constant back and forth bickering while in the field is unacceptable and I expected better from both of you. Especially you, Wallace."

"I…" Kid Flash started hotly before taking a breath. "Right. Sorry, Aqualad."

"I'll hold my tongue," Pyroclasm replied neutrally. "For now."

"Now, I will put on the helmet and we will find this Cat and permanently end it," Aqualad said and the hum of mystic energy sounded on the comms.

"I have found the cat," Red Tornado said. "It's in the lobby-"

Following was the sound of crashing furniture and the sound a deep growling before the comm cut off.

"We need to get down there now," Artemis barked.

"On it!"

* * *

"Finally!" Klarion shouted as the front door to the Tower of Fate was pulled open, revealing Teekl, who had grown to the size of a lion who had pulled the door open with her tail. She was pawing at Red Tornado who was blasting her with cutting, red winds. "Good cat!"

The Witchboy took a step inside. Abra attempted to follow suit when Klarion shoved a piece of paper and red crystal with jagged points into his hands. "Use your wand to draw this around the tower. Then plant that rock into the circle at the top. Don't screw it up."

"Uh…" Abra started. "What'll it do?"

Klarion growled. "It'll neuter the tower's ability to fight me off."

"Why didn't you tell me about this before?" Abra asked.

"Abra, you remember what I said about asking questions?" Klarion growled, his red, beady eyes narrowed up at Abra.

"Right," Abra took off, wand outstretched. _Wand, analyze blueprint and replicate it around the tower exactly._

 _Executing command,_ The Wand responded. _Extend wand and fly around the tower in a five-second orbit._

A bright blue beam streamed from the end of Abra's wand, replicating the jagged, nearly incomprehensible ritual circle, leaving molten, glowing soil and burning grass behind, capping the circle with another circle, one foot in diameter in the top.

Taking the crystal in his hand, he plunged it into the circle and immediately, the park was bathed in red light. Abra levitated up and out of the circle, watching as red lightning bolts raised up from the ground, striking the tower as the walls glowed with golden sigils.

"One day, all this power will be mine," Abra grumbled to himself, taking in the spectacle with wide eyes. "One day soon…"

* * *

 _Author's Notes: For those of you unaware, I have been on break from writing until September 14_ _th_ _, which is why this chapter was so long in coming. I apologize for not letting those of you on FFnet know, I will do better next time._

 _Teekl was able to hide much in the same way that Klarion was able to hide from Pyroclasm; she channeled her master's power. I figured it was plausible that she could do that given how she was able to grow in size in the actual cartoon._

 _The answer to Abra's question, and by extension the question of 'why didn't they do this in canon' is that they were going more along the path of infiltration and so didn't want to raise alarms. That, and Klarion, as a Lord of Chaos, came up with this ritual circle a few seconds before presenting it to Abra, and then forgot about it a few seconds after._

 _Hope you enjoyed the chapter and that it was worth the wait. Let me know what you thought by leaving a comment/review down below._

 _Shout out goes out too_ Melden V, Anders Kronquist, Ray Tony Song, makopaulo, Volkogluk, Aaron Bjornson, iolande, Martin Auguado, Julio, Jiopaba, Hackerham, Tim Collins-Squire, Maben00, Devil's Bite, Sultan Saltlick, PostLifeSyndrome _and_ DarthBane. _Thank you for your continued support!_

 _Until the next time!_

 _~Fulcon_


	11. Chapter 11: Catching Fire

_The following is a fanbased work of fiction. Young Justice is property of DC Comics, Warner Brothers and Greg Weisman – please support the official release._

* * *

"Klarion has entered the tower," Red Tornado said over the comm. "His Cat is here in the Lobby, grown multiple sizes over."

"We're on our way," The paired voice of Aqualad and Nabu sounded over the comms.

 _Does anyone else think that stereo voice is unsettling?_ Pyroclasm asked over the mental link as he and Artemis started sprinting for the lobby.

 _Yes,_ Ms. Martian replied, worry lacing her voice. _I can't link with Kal'dur anymore either._

 _I knew putting on that helmet was a bad idea,_ Kid Flash said with distress. _Fate just ported to the lobby, I'm running to assist. ETA, ten seconds._

 _We're on our way,_ Ms. Martian thought back, all business. _Be there in five minutes._

 _I can't wait to stomp this cat_ , Superboy thought with anticipation. _That way we can be done with this magic business and we can go home._

 _You really don't like this tower, huh?_ Ms. Martian thought.

 _No,_ Superboy thought with emphasis and conviction. _This whole place is giving me a giant headache and I don't like it._

 _That is a big cat!_ Kid Flash thought in alarm.

 _So, what about the tower is giving you a headache?_ Pyroclasm thought with interest as he ran down the spiral staircase ahead of Artemis. _Is it the fact that it's bigger on the inside than it is on the outside or-_

 _That_ , Superboy said immediately. _It's that one. I think. It's like I'm seeing multiple things in the same place and it hurts my eyes._

 _Gotcha_ , Pyro thought.

 _Kid Flash, we're here,_ Ms. Martian thought immediately.

 _Jumping in, get clear!_ Superboy thought loudly.

 _Why did we have to be the ones to search the top floors of the tower?_ Artemis bemoaned in irritation as she started jumping down the stairs from railing to railing.

 _Because we're the top of the team,_ Pyro thought, watching her bounce. _Also, good idea._

He watched the stairs as she got to the bottom before he jumped down the center himself, slowing his fall with flamed jetting from his outstretched hands. His boots touched the floor quickly and he rushed through the doors.

The lobby was in complete and utter chaos. Klarion was standing at the door, laughing maniacally as he shot darts of scarlet energy at his flying targets like a gunfighter might blast a series of enemies, guns akimbo. Red Tornado was in pieces, his left leg and arm having been ripped off, though he was still filling the lobby with a tornado. Kid Flash was running between Klarion and his cat, trying to distract and annoy with body strikes while he zipped around in a zig-zag pattern. The cat itself was floating and spinning, unable to touch the ground as Ms. Martian kept it suspended with outstretched hands. Superboy was engaged in a melee, punching and kicking at the cat while also desperately grasping at its fur to keep from falling to the ground himself. Flying above them all was Doctor Fate, shooting down beams of golden light that struck down around the Lord of Chaos who dodged around them as a swirl of black smoke.

 _Say, that gives me an idea,_ Pyroclasm thought idly before his hands lit in large balls of fire, and he hurled them at the cat.

It howled and hissed in pain as its fur caught on fire.

"TEEKL!" Klarion shouted, his attention pulled from Doctor Fate to the plight of his cat, grasping his hair and pulling it up in sudden panic and worry.

 _Oh. He gets distracted. that's good to know,_ Pyro thought.

Then the cat shrunk rapidly and quickly, causing Superboy to fall to the ground as he finally lost grip of the thing. Then the cat surrounded by an aura of red energy and pulled directly to Klarion. A golden beam of light came down from above, which the cat unwittingly dodged as it was pulled from side to side.

 _I got it!_ Kid Flash thought, chasing after it and jumping after it, only barely missing the tackle when Klarion lifted the Cat above where Kid Flash could reach him and suddenly had to roll to the side to dodge a series of roiling red blades that surged at him from under the ground. _No!_

Klarion pulled the door open and threw his cat right out, shutting the door behind it with a swift kick.

 _That's not good_ , Artemis thought, knocking and drawing a bomb arrow, pointing it at Klarion.

"Okay!" Klarion shouted with an angry, devilish smile that showed rows and rows of razor-sharp teeth. "Whose ready to _play_?"

"You!" Doctor Fate shouted, pointing directly at Pyro. "Come up with a plan! I will distract Klarion here!"

"Can you make us a door to the outside?" Pyroclasm immediately asked in response.

"No!" Doctor Fate shouted over the magical din. "The circle around the tower is interfering with it's operations. I cannot issue it commands!"

 _We need to get to the roof. Pronto,_ Pyroclasm thought immediately, nodding to Doctor Fate. _We can chase after the cat in the Bioship._

 _Right,_ Ms. Martian thought with a nod.

 _Don't forget about Tornado!_ Kid Flash thought quickly.

 _Ms. Martian, if you wouldn't mind?_ Pyro thought.

 _I can do that,_ Ms. Martian thought, lifting Red Tornado and what was left of his chewed up, mangled limbs up to follow.

"Oh, no, no, no!" Klarion said as the team turned to run. "You can't leave! The party is just getting started!"

 _Let's move!_ Artemis thought as a wall of red, chaotic energy started to chase after them. They got out of the way, hiding on the edges of the doorway as the stairs directly in front of them were incinerated.

 _Ms. Martian, can you lift us all up the stairs?_ Pyro asked.

 _No!_ Ms. Martian answered immediately. _I'm already carrying Tornado!_

 _Right, right,_ Pyro thought as he jet-boosted himself up to the non-charred stairs. _The stairs go all the way to the roof._

Kid Flash ran along the wall of the staircase. Artemis fired her grapple hook and zipped up. Superboy jumped entire sections in a single bound. Ms. Martian floated after them. Then a red bolt of lightning zipped up past them, missing Ms. Martian and impacting the stair case, sending the stairs crumbling down.

Artemis, who was furthest up, jumped down several flights to get out of the way of the rubble. Superboy wound up colliding head-first into the rubble and was slapped down with a cry of pain. Ms. Martian was able to catch Superboy and the two landed on the stairs to the side. Kid Flash was immediately at her side and Pyro caught up with Artemis.

"I said you couldn't leave!" Klarion shouted from the bottom with a gleeful smile, before turning and dodging up the stairs away from a bright golden beam.

"Quickly! Into the Hall!" Doctor Fate shouted, flying into the stair-case at maximum speed, flying past Klarion and creating a golden floor that cut Klarion off from the rest of the stairs.

The team found itself looking at the nearest door, a simple brown thing that swung open easily in Ms. Martian's telekinetic grasp. Beyond the door was anything but simple, a great expanse of stairs going in every angle, doors that went to every location, all floating in the teal sky.

Pyroclasm groaned. _I was really hoping to avoid going in there._

 _Oh, can you stop whining for one second?_ Kid Flash asked angrily before running in through the door.

Everyone else followed, with Pyroclasm moving in last behind a floating Red Tornado and closing the door behind him.

 _It's been a second,_ Pyro thought with a mental smirk. _Seriously though, without Fate here and him being unable to issue the tower commands, getting to the roof is going to take a while._

 _Yeah. Yeah, I can see that,_ Artemis replied, sounding overwhelmed as she took in the room that was the Hall of Infinite Doors.

 _I say we just start trying doors until we find the roof_ , Kid Flash said, running up a flight of stairs and yanking open the door. A jet of flame blasted out the door, knocking Kid Flash back, causing him to hang from the doorknob, legs dangling into the infinite abyss.

 _Ms. Martian, if you could shut that door?_ Pyroclasm asked, a slight wistful tone as the desire to enter the Conduit to the Burn colored his thoughts.

With a wave of her hand, the door slammed shut and Kid Flash found himself on solid ground.

 _Thank you,_ Pyroclasm said, now somewhat disappointed.

 _Yes, seriously!_ Kid Flash thought with a nervous grin. _Thank you, beautiful. So much. That would've been a long fall._

Behind the group, the door opened and Doctor Fate flew in, creating a golden, floating ankh to block a wave of red, cackling lightning. Then he shut the door, which then buckled and shook as an irate and shouting Klarion began laying into it with chaotic energies.

"Please tell me that you have another way to the roof," Kid Flash immediately said, rushing up to the Doctor.

"Indeed, but it will not be easy," Doctor Fate nodded. He pointed to a door down a flight of stairs. "That door will take you to the Icebox, the tower's emergency storage. In it, you will find Kent Nelson's cane. It will open the door to the staircase itself beyond where Klarion has blocked you off with rubble and you'll be able to reach the roof."

"Perfect," Pyroclasm nodded, and the team turned to go. Then Pyro turned back to Fate. "You're letting Aqualad off the hook after this, right?"

The team stopped, slowly turning to face Doctor Fate, who had frozen.

"Right?" Pyroclasm pressed with a glare.

"Provided you promise to find me another host, I will do so," Doctor Fate said finally.

"Done," Pyroclasm replied immediately.

"Then I will release him after Klarion is defeated," Doctor Fate agreed with a nod. With an outstretched hand, a golden wall placed itself against the door the Klarion was angrily trying to bash down. "Now go."

 _…let's go,_ Pyroclasm said.

 _Who said you got to call the shots?_ Kid Flash snapped.

 _Aqualad,_ Pyro answered.

 _Oh. Right,_ Kid Flash said, annoyed.

 _So, move it,_ Artemis snapped.

 _Alright, alright, don't get bent out of shape_ , Kid Flash growled back.

 _As much as I'd love to join in, we need to focus,_ Pyroclasm started. _Let's save the arguments for when the world's not in jeopardy._

 _Fine_ , Artemis said, sounding disappointed.

The team immediately charged down the stairs, Kid Flash pulling the door open. What greeted them was an artic tundra, with the night-sky shining starlight on the snow below.

 _Oh, I can already tell this is going to suck,_ Pyroclasm inhaled.

 _Are you going to have a problem?_ Artemis asked with a frown. _Given, you know, that you're a fire user?_

 _I think I'll be able to keep myself warm,_ Pyroclasm replied with a nod. _I think. It's just not going to be pleasant._

 _Just don't slow us down,_ Superboy said.

 _Got it,_ Pyro said.

With that, they entered the Icebox. The snow crunched beneath their feet with every step, their breath froze on every exhale. Pyroclasm started rubbing his arms with glowing hands, trying to keep his heat up.

 _I see something!_ Kid Flash announced, having run ahead up a steep slope and was pointing downward. _Yellow light of some kind off on the horizon._

The team rushed ahead to catch up, Pyroclasm using a rocket boosted jump to get ahead of everyone else, landing beside Kid Flash at the top.

 _Awesome! Let's move and get that!_ Pyroclasm thought, an obvious strain in his voice as he jumped off of the hill, yellow bursts of fire trailing behind him like firecrackers as he sped off in the direction of the light. He landed on the ground and kept running. _Incidentally, is Red Tornado offline, because he's been really quiet._

 _I think he is,_ Ms. Martian answered. _He hasn't tried moving at all._

Kid Flash zipped past Pyroclasm with little effort, leaving behind a long cloud of disturbed snow as he ran ahead. Second went Superboy, jumping ahead with mighty bounds that shook the ground with every landing.

Slowly, Pyroclasm felt himself slow down. With a breath, he flared out his internal flame to chase away to frost. Then he jumped out, boosting himself like a rocket, the rapid explosions sounding like a giant firecracker was going off.

Behind Pyroclasm, Ms. Martian was floating, with Artemis running at full sprint.

 _You need a lift?_ Ms. Martian asked with a kind smile.

 _You know what? Yes,_ Artemis replied while huffing and puffing. _That'd be great_.

 _Alright, hold on,_ Ms. Martian said, extending a hand and with a strained expression on her face, lifted Artemis off of the ground. _Let's go._

 _Thanks_ , Artemis thought with a nod and they floated forward.

Kid Flash, unsurprisingly, got there first, stopping dead in front of the glowing staff that floated just off of the ground. _Found the staff. So…what, do I just grab it? That's how the magic happens, right?_

 _Wait for us to get there,_ Pyro replied. He could feel the could seeping through his jacket, his blood was turning to sleet in his veins. With another breath, he brushed off the cold and rocketed off again. _Remind me to wear my costume next time._

Superboy landed next to Kid Flash. _Yeah, it's the staff. How close are you?_

 _We're not far,_ Ms. Martian replied.

Pyroclasm landed by the staff. _Okay…good. Yeah, it's the staff. We should…wait…_

He collapsed on the snow.

Kid Flash immediately zipped to his side, taking Pyro's wrist and pressing his fingers to it.

 _What happened?_ Artemis asked in alarm, rushing to his side as soon as Ms. Martian set her down.

 _He just collapsed,_ Kid Flash replied. _He still has a pulse, but it's faint. We need to get out of this place, now._

 _Grab the staff!_ Artemis barked quickly, placing her hand on his masked forehead. _It's like he's frozen solid!_

 _I got him,_ Ms. Martian said.

Superboy grabbed the staff. Immediately, in the air, a golden outline appeared and the whole section of sky slid down, revealing the staircase they had just left. The team rushed through the portal and when they were all through, the door shut.

Pyroclasm and Red Tornado were dropped to the floor, and Ms. Martian followed soon after, panting on her hands and knees. She leaned back against the wall. _I can keep going. Just need a break. Yeah. Just need a…_

 _Take all the time you need_ , Kid Flash said. Then he backtracked. _Well, not too much time. Aqualad's still fighting._

 _Right, yeah,_ Ms. Martian nodded, swallowing. _Can we try to wake up Red Tornado? Because he can fly himself, that'd make things easier._

 _Got it,_ Kid Flash nodded, dashing over to the android's side and started slapping his face around repeatedly. "Paging, paging Red Tornado! Come in! Can you hear us!"

"Yes, I can hear you," Red Tornado's response was nearly drowned out by the sound of Wally's repeated slapping. "I was in power save mode. What do you need?"

"We need you to fly yourself," Superboy replied. "We just went through a frozen wasteland and Pyro's collapsed. M'Gann can't fly more than one person at once for too long. Can you do that?"

"I can," Red Tornado said with a nod, standing up with his one leg. "Did you manage to grab the limbs that Klarion's cat ripped off?"

"Yeah, they're right over there," Ms. Martian replied, pointing at the fallen limbs and slowly standing up.

From Pyro's unconscious body, the frost started to melt off, turning to steam.

"Here," Red Tornado said, hopping over to Pyro on his leg, kneeling down and scooping him up in his one metal arm. "I can carry him. What is the plan?"

"Get to the bioship and hunt the cat," Kid Flash answered. "Klarion threw the cat out the front door and we're following it via the roof."

"A good plan," Red Tornado nodded. "Though wouldn't it have been faster to sneak through the front door? I assume you've been pursued by Klarion, you might've been able to sneak around him."

Kid Flash face-palmed and started grumbling. Ms. Martian groaned in annoyance. Artemis folder her arms and cast an upset frown down the stairs. Superboy simply raised an eyebrow.

"What's done is done," Red Tornado continued, a crimson twister forming around his lower half. "Let's head to the roof."

The team each ascended until they came to the top of the stairs, it ending in a pair of cellar doors and Superboy was easily able to push open. With that, they were on the roof. The first thing that stood out to them was the sound of lightning cackling in the air, a red glow coming from down below.

Kid Flash dashed to the side to peer over the wall, and his eyes grew to the size of dinner plates. "What kind of jamming mechanism is _that_?"

The team joined him and down below, they saw the ring of red energy with lightning bolts cackling and drawing red hot lines on the tower's walls.

"It's magic," Superboy replied simply as the bioship decloaked behind them.

"Right! Right," Kid Flash responded, nodding rapidly. "Yup, it's magic. How silly of me."

"Maybe you should start studying sooner rather than later," Artemis snarked with a quirk of an eyebrow. "If you can't identify it on sight like everyone else, you need obviously need remedial lessons."

Before Kid Flash could respond, Superboy cut it. "Save it. We've got a cat to kill."

"Right," Kid Flash replied darkly.

Red Tornado flew into the Bioship, followed by the rest of the team. He placed Pyroclasm on the gurney that grew out from the floor of the ship as the Team took their positions.

With a groan, Pyroclasm gradually sat up as the Bioship took off. "Oh. Neat, we made it. Have we saved the world yet?"

"Oh, you're awake!" Artemis said with relief. "Good. You feeling okay?"

"Much better," Pyroclasm replied, stepping off the gurney. "A shame the artic has that effect on me, I love snow."

"Yeah, yeah, that's too bad," Kid Flash said in a thoroughly uninterested manner. "Where's the cat?"

"Still can't sense it," Pyroclasm replied easily. "But the man down on the ground is holding something in his arms."

Superboy looked down. "I see him, he's holding a cat."

"Oh, also…huh," Pyroclasm said, his head tilting. "That's not good."

"What's wrong?" Red Tornado asked.

"It appears that the spectacle has drawn an audience," Pyro said, pointing out the ships window.

Down below, they could see the mass amount of people having encircled the park. There was a police line drawn with squad cars and officers with pistols drawn. No one was firing because Abra Kadabra had created a shield wall Between him and the police on all sides. To top it off, the press was also present, with cameras pointing into the park.

"We can drop in from on top of him," Kid Flash said, standing and appearing at the ship's exit in an instant.

"The only problem that I see is that none of you have your costumes on," Pyroclasm replied. "Ms. Martian has shape-shifting, Red Tornado is…Red Tornado and I have a mask, but the rest of you are out of luck."

Kid Flash stopped short. "Oh no."

"Yeah. Ms. Martian, can you fix up Red Tornado here in the ship?" Pyroclasm continued without expression.

"I can, but I need to be here until the ship's finished scanning him," Ms. Martian replied.

"Okay, looks like I'm the vanguard here," Pyro said, rolling his shoulders. "That shield wall should keep the cat from going anywhere. Just drop me behind Abra and come assist when you're both ready."

"You're going to fight Abra alone?" Kid Flash asked with a yelp. "Are you crazy?"

Pyroclasm nodded.

Kid Flash started sputtered, having thoroughly blanched. "You don't understand! This is the guy that sends people to the moon on a whim! Inverts people's gravity for fun! _He makes Furries real, Pyro!_ "

"The fiend," Pyroclasm airily responded. "I'm not trying to beat Abra, I'm just trying to kill the cat."

"Pyro, I think it might be better if you waited," Artemis said with a worried frown.

"If we wait too long, Klarion's going to beat Doctor Fate and seize the helmet," Pyroclasm responded. "So, work fast, M'Gann."

"I will!" Ms. Martian said as the gurney behind her chair morphed, gaining multiple mechanical limbs with welding torches and other things necessary for robot repair. "Just hold on a second."

Pyroclasm hummed, then pulled his phone out of his pocket. After a few strokes on the screen, M'Gann buckled over, holding her head with a yelp of pain while Pyroclasm jumped down the hole. The pain immediately subsided. _Can't. Besides, it's just death. Nothing serious._

The ground came up to meet Pyro as he fell. He broke his fall with a rocket boost from his hands and feet, landing on the ground hard.

"Well, who might you be?" Abra Kadabra asked, from his spot on the opposite side of the square. He had his want pointed down at Pyro while Teekl hopped out of his arms.

"Name's Pyroclasm," Pyro responded, igniting his hands. "Don't mind me, I'm just here to kill the cat."

Then he sprayed the fire out on the ground, setting the grass on fire. The water inside instantly steamed out into a thick layer of smoke. Pyro dove to the right, impacting the ground prone as that was where Abra's wand was still pointing and to his relief, was still the direction he was shooting in. Waving his arms in the circle, the blaze was fed and intensified. Flames reached high over the square force-field.

Abra was frantically waving his wand, causing a severe twister to blow the smoke up and out of the cage that he had constructed. With that done, Pyro threw a blast of fire at Abra and saw that he had been enveloped by a green energy shield.

 _Oh. Environmental shield, that sucks,_ Pyro thought. _How's the repairs coming?_

 _They're coming, just hold on!_ Ms. Martian thought.

Pyro saw the red cat, sitting on a pile of blackened grass, batting away at some stray embers.

 _Got her,_ Pyro thought, putting his hands forward and blasting a large, thick funnel of flames down at the cat. It howled in shock and surprise and before anyone knew what happened, the Tower's front door burst open like they had been hit with an explosion and the sound of screeching rubber rang in Pyro's ears.

"Teekl!" Klarion had left the tower and had grabbed his cat. "You…bully! Killjoy! I'll kill you now! I'll skin you and make a dress for…wait…"

His tiny red eyes went wide. "What did you do to your soul?"

"I glued a fire elemental to it," Pyro responded immediately.

Klarion's eyes slowly narrowed to nearly imperceptible slits. "You're lucky you're cool. Come on, Abra. We're _leaving._ "

"I-"

" _Now!_ " With that, they both disappeared in a bright flash of red light.

Soon after, Doctor Fate flew out of the tower. "Where is Klarion?"

"He picked up his toys and went home," Pyro replied, standing up. "Didn't get the cat, I'm sorry to say."

"At the very least, you forced him to retreat," Doctor Fate replied. "You did well. I will remove the circle around my tower and then I will return Aqualad the use of his body. Afterwards, you promised to find me a suitable host."

"I didn't forget," Pyroclasm said. He looked over to the side and saw the mob of onlookers. "So…what do we do about them?"

Pyro jumped when he heard a pop behind him and he whirled, ready to throw flames and fire at whomever just decided to attack…except it wasn't an attack.

Giovanni Zatara, dressed in his usual tuxedo and top hat, had appeared, his mouth curled into a thin frown.

"Oh. We made the news, huh?" Pyroclasm asked.

"You certainly did," Zatara responded curtly. "Pyroclasm, yes? I'm Giovanni Zatara, I've been meaning to meet with you."

"I heard from Tornado," Pyro nodded, pointing up. "He's here, by the way. In the ship."

"Ah, good. Perhaps he can explain what the team is doing out in Salem so late at night on an unsanctioned mission," Zatara replied with a quirk of his eyebrow.

"Long story short, we stopped Klarion from getting the Helmet of Fate," Pyro replied.

"Did you?" Zatara said neutrally. "Well, good for each of you. Now, Batman has asked me to tell you each to head back to the cave. Now. I will handle the press and come speak to you tomorrow. Do you understand?"

"You got it," Pyro said. "You want us to wait for Aqualad to take off the helmet?"

"No, I will bring him to the Cave later," Zatara replied.

 _So, did everyone catch that?_ Pyro thought.

 _We did,_ Ms. Martian responded. _Red Tornado is coming down now._

 _I can't believe you're alive,_ Kid Flash said, marveling. _Good thing you didn't actually try to fight him._

 _No kidding,_ Pyro said, running up the Bioship's ramp as it landed and extended. _But that's what happens when you do magic…you can do tricks._

 _Oh, ha, ha,_ Kid Flash snarked.

 _We still need to have that discussion later,_ Pyroclasm replied, taking his seat. _You know the one._

 _Yeah, you guys really were at each other's throats this time,_ Ms. Martian replied, the bioship taking off. _I hope you guys can work it out._

 _Oh, so do I,_ Pyroclasm said with a slightly predatory lilt to his thoughts. _So do I._

 _We don't have to-_ Kid Flash began.

 _Yes, you do,_ Superboy, Ms. Martian and Artemis all thought at the same time.

* * *

"So, I didn't get the helmet," L-7 informed the rest of the council. "Those brats got in the way. Again."

"That's unfortunate but fortunately not entirely necessary," L-1 replied. "It would have been good to eliminate the potential threat."

"I'd say we might even turn that threat into an asset," L-3 mused. "Given how stage one is supposed to end, the added firepower would be very beneficial to us all."

"We did not come this far by taking unnecessary risks," L-1 reprimanded. "If we leave even the smallest, unnecessary risk for failure, that's an unforgivable amount of leeway we would be giving the Justice League that might lead to our downfall."

"Those children are on their way to becoming a genuine problem as well," L-2 interjected. "Given how problematic even one of those brats can be, we would do well to begin planning their removal."

"Their counter measure is already in place, as you are all aware," L-1 replied neutrally. "We are getting off topic."

"Now tell me, L-7," L-6 began. "Did you gain anything of worth from your excursion into the tower?"

"I did, actually," L-7 replied, sounding ecstatic.

"Oh, I'd love to hear it," L-4 said, her condescension coming through so thick one could almost see it. "Because by all accounts, this mission was a broadly televised failure."

L-7 started to chuckle mischievously before responding in a sing-song voice. "I got an _idea_."

Then L-7 hung up and the conference was silent.

"That can't be good," L-3 finally spoke up.

* * *

 _Author's Notes: Some have noticed that Kid Flash missed out on a serious opportunity for character growth because he didn't have either of his fateful chats with Kent Nelson. Just the nature of the beast, I'm afraid. I had actually meant to still have Kid Flash put on the helmet but…things didn't work out that way. Still, there is some hope to salvage Kid Flash's character development and that's in the mission's denouement – the debriefing._

 _Part of what made this chapter so hard to write is that I kept looking for an opportunity for Pyroclasm and Kid Flash to have their argument about magic and I…kept coming up dry. It was annoying, actually, but now that we're all done and we're going to have a 'take care of it now' moment back at the cave, I can have that argument right there._

 _Everyone, please welcome_ Ventari _as the newest super patron. Shout out goes out to him, thank you for your support; it helps me write stuff like this as much as I do for you._

 _Shout out also goes out too_ Melden V, Anders Kronquist, Ray Tony Song, makopaulo, Volkogluk, Aaron Bjornson, iolande, Martin Auguado, Julio, Jiopaba, Hackerham, Tim Collins-Squire, Maben00, Devil's Bite, Sultan Saltlick, PostLifeSyndrome _and_ DarthBane. _You guys are awesome, thank you._

 _Until the next time!_

 _~Fulcon_


	12. Chapter 12: Written in Fire

_The following is a fanbased work of fiction. Young Justice is property of DC Comics, Warner Brothers and Greg Weisman – please support the official release._

* * *

"In the end, the Tower of Fate was secured and Klarion was thwarted," Aqualad finished with military candor.

"Under the circumstances, you have all done exceptionally well," Batman replied with equal tone. "Red Tornado will be debriefed later and you not be placed under any scrutiny."

Kid Flash let out a sigh of relief. "Whew, good. I was worried there for a second."

"But as a word of instruction," Batman continued. "Whenever you leave the mountain as a team, you must either be wearing your costumes or have them close at hand. Being caught without all of your tools nearly resulted in disaster, and it is only thanks to Pyroclasm's quick thinking that none of your identities were compromised."

"We will make sure this doesn't happen again." Aqualad nodded.

"And Superboy," Batman began. "You may wish to consider using an actual costume. While Civilian Clothing is an option, it will make keeping a civilian identity far trickier than it has to be, even if that costume does not have a mask."

"No thanks," Superboy replied disdainfully.

Batman didn't respond, instead simply returning his attention to the team at large. "That is all I had. Unless you had further business, I recommend adjourning. This is a school night for some of you."

With that, Batman turned to leave.

"Recognized, Batman. 02."

"Hold," Aqualad stated, walking forward. "Pyroclasm. Wallace. The two of you have some unfinished business that needs to be taken care of. Right. Now."

"I'm as eager as you are to put this issue behind us, Aqualad," Pyroclasm began. "But you heard Batman, it is a school night and we just got off a mission. I vote Kid Flash and I put our debate on hold until tomorrow."

"Yeah, I agree," Kid Flash replied with a smirk. "Getting Pyroclasm to see the error of his ways ain't gonna happen when we're both about to fall over dead."

Aqualad's nostrils flared for just a moment, his eyes narrowing. "Fine. But after tomorrow, I never want to hear either of you arguing with each other again. Am I understood?"

"Yup." Kid Flash nodded.

"Clearly," Pyroclasm replied airily.

"Good," Aqualad said, taking a breath.

 _Say, M'Gann?_ Pyroclasm thought as loudly as he could.

 _What is it Pyro?_ M'Gann replied icily.

 _I wanted to say sorry for intentionally stabbing you in the brain with anti-psionic signals_ , Pyroclasm replied. _I felt like you would've shut the hatch on me before I could've engaged Abra, but I did hurt you and I feel like I owe you an apology. So here it is. I'm sorry and I hope you can forgive me._

M'Gann didn't say anything immediately, thinking for a moment. _You're probably right, I would've shut the hatch on you. I almost did and you did end up saving everyone so I guess I shouldn't hold it against you. Just don't do it again, alright?_

 _I'll do my best_ , Pyroclasm responded cheerfully. _Apology accepted?_

 _Apology accepted_ , M'Gann replied with a nod.

"Hey, I'll see you later beautiful," Kid Flash said with a salute toward Mis. Martian before zipping off toward the Zeta tube.

"Recognized, Kid Flash. B03."

 _Also, if you don't mind me asking, why haven't you said anything to Kid Flash about his…obvious interest in you?_ Pyroclasm asked with interest.

 _Well, it would be rude,_ M'Gann answered. _On Mars, feelings like that are always on the surface and since we can't really help but display when we like someone, it being in our thoughts all the time, going out of your way to tell someone that you aren't interested is rude. Because they already know. Is that not the way it is on Earth?_

Pyroclasm was stuck frozen. _Wait, really? Huh, that explains a lot. To answer your question, no. We're not a telepathic species by nature, so making sure that someone making unwanted advances needs to be told those advances are unwanted. In no uncertain terms._

 _Oh,_ Ms. Martian also froze. _I…huh. Are you saying I should actually tell him?_

 _If you wouldn't mind doing so during our debate tomorrow,_ _actually_ , Pyroclasm replied easily.

 _Why do you want me to tell him that during your debate?_ M'Gann asked incredulously.

"Hey. Hey! Earth to Pyro," Artemis said.

"Heh, sorry," Pyro replied. "What's up?"

"Just wanted to tell you what an amazing job you did back there," Artemis said with a smile. "You used a smoke-screen, kept Abra off balance while also not setting fire to the whole park. It was great. Just try to never do it again, alright?"

"I will do my absolute best to never charge into a hopeless fight without backup again," Pyro nodded solemnly. "You have my word."

"Thank you," Artemis said. "So, what're you two talking about?"

"Well, first I was apologizing for stabbing her in the brain back on the ship," Pyro answered. "Then we got on to talking about how to deal with someone's unwanted interest."

"He wants me to break it to Kid Flash that I'm not interested in him during their debate," M'Gann replied.

"Absolutely not." Aqualad squashed the idea with the force of a falling boulder.

"I was just asking him why." M'Gann frowned. "That seems…mean."

"The reason being that he's lying about believing in magic to get into your pants, M'Gann," Pyroclasm replied pointedly. "And I don't think a super team should tolerate that kind of behavior."

"He doesn't believe…" M'Gann blinked in disbelieve.

"Yup," Artemis nodded. "It's scummy. Don't you agree, Aqualad?"

Aqualad sighed. "Yes, I agree. But the debate between Pyroclasm and Kid Flash is about resolving their differences, not dogpiling everything on Kid Flash."

"Most of my differences with Kid Flash come from his behavior," Pyroclasm responded. "If we're going to start getting along, he needs to stop acting like a brain-damaged Neanderthal."

"How does he not believe in magic?" M'Gann finally caught up with the conversation. "That's insane!"

"To be fair, disbelief in magic is fairly common on earth," Pyro explained easily. "Most of the mystical knowledge available on Earth is nonsense for…a large variety of reasons, really."

"So then why do you want M'Gann to tell Kid Flash to take a hike?" Superboy asked with a quirk of his eyebrow.

"Because he's not going to admit it unless his reason for lying is gone." Pyroclasm shrugged. "I'm going for a scorched earth strategy, here."

"No. No. No," Aqualad said. "M'Gann, tell him tomorrow, the day after or whenever you feel is appropriate. The feud between Pyroclasm and Kid Flash is between them alone and I request that you not allow yourself to be used as collateral."

M'Gann took a moment. "You're right. Pyro, I'll tell him when I'm ready. Please don't ask again."

"That's fair," Pyro replied, not sounding like he had been remotely affected by what just happened. "I mean, the longer he thinks he's in the running for your affections, the worse the sheer feeling of heartbreak and despair will be for him when he finds out. So, I will trust you to do the right thing for both you and him."

With that, Pyro turned on his heel and walked toward the Zeta tube. Artemis caught up to him.

"You know, you're really devious when you want to be," Artemis said with a raised eyebrow.

"I'll take that as a compliment."

* * *

The next day, the team was gathered together in the training room. On the holographic ring, two podiums had been risen. Standing at one, Kid Flash had a stoic look that had just a hint of anger burning within his eyes. At the other was Pyroclasm, his eyes barely betraying a feeling of satisfaction.

Standing around the training area was the team. Aqualad was there folding his arms and looking at the both of them neutrally. Artemis stood beside a bored looking Superboy with a satisfied expression on her face. A little ways off on Kid Flash's side of the training ground was Robin, dressed in Sunglasses and Jacket while holding a large bag of popcorn.

Standing last in line, M'Gann spoke up while looking extremely uncomfortable. "Doesn't anyone think this is a bit excessive?"

"Yes," Black Canary agreed with a nod. She was standing between both podiums. "But if this is the way the two of you want to do this…"

"It is," Kid Flash said with a sadistic grin. "This just makes it look like an official debate."

"I just think it's funny," Pyroclasm responded with a grin carrying through on his voice.

"Okay, well, some ground rules," Black Canary started. "This is about resolving your differences, not trying to destroy each other. So, if either of you gets angry, we take a break, you go to take a breath. At the end of this, both of you will put this behind you. Secondly, no audience participation. This is between Pyro and Kid Flash. No dogpiling. Do you understand?"

"You got it," Kid Flash replied with a grin.

"I understand," Pyro nodded.

"Alright, call it," Black Canary said, producing a quarter.

"Heads," Kid Flash immediately said.

The coin went into the air, flipping dozens of times before landing back in Black Canary's closed palm. She flipped it on the back of her hand. "Heads. Kid Flash, you can start."

"Alrighty," Kid Flash cracked his knuckles. "Here's the thing. Pyro, you don't belong on this team. At all. The first week here, you insulted the entire team, done almost nothing but look for ways to get more power and straight up admitted that you were crazy."

"All true," Pyroclasm nodded. "But given Superboy is only a few months old and was more or less completely feral when you found him, I don't think crazy should disqualify me from team membership. No offense, Superboy."

Superboy grunted, then shrugged. "None taken."

"Superboy saved all of our lives," Kid Flash argued back with a glare. "He gets a pass."

"And I saved all of your secret identities," Pyroclasm pointed out. "I think I should get a pass."

"Okay, well, you insulted the whole team," Kid Flash said. "And you have never stopped being a caustic jerk since your first day."

"I admit that I have a nonexistent tolerance for things I find stupid," Pyroclasm nodded. "But when I was in error, I apologized. But when I'm not in error, such as when you showed up to the Cave in beach-wear because you thought we'd go to the beach during training hours, then yeah; I will rake you over the coals. With pleasure."

"That wasn't my fault," Kid Flash glared and pointed at him. "The text was worded poorly."

"Be that as it may, there is still common sense," Pyroclasm said. "But we've gone over this already. Can we agree to cut to our real issues and not get distracted?"

"You know what, I agree," Kid Flash replied. "Yeah, let's cut to the real issue here. You're a power-hungry psychopath."

"I think psychopath is a little strong there," Pyroclasm objected. "But essentially, yeah. Why is that a problem?"

Kid Flash scoffed. "Why is that even a question? The only people out there that are trying to grab all the power they can are villains."

"So, it was an accident that you recreated the Flash's experiment in your garage," Pyroclasm pointed out. "Let me guess, you did it without precautionary tests or understanding the mechanics of what you were doing. That's why you've got dietary problems and don't go as fast as The Flash, isn't it?"

"Oh, like you're _any better_ ," Kid Flash snarled with an affronted expression. "You'd inject yourself with Kobra Venom without a second thought. Who cares if comes with any side effects at all."

"Well, I do, because I stopped wanting to inject myself with it when I learned what the side effects were," Pyroclasm replied without missing a beat. "Contrary to what some may believe, I do have rules, like what Artemis and I were talking about back in the tower. Actually, I wrote them down and brought them here."

He held up a piece of paper with ten bullet points. "Black Canary, if you'd like to read them out loud for me?"

"Sure, I can do that for you," Black Canary said, taking the paper and clearing her throat. "Rule number 1. Consult the Evil Overlord List at all times. If it will protect an Evil Overlord from a stupid mistake, it will protect me."

"You're even consulting their online rulebook," Kid Flash said, pointing at it like it was objective proof that Pyroclasm was guilty of something. "See?"

"Well, as you pointed out earlier, Villains are the ones with the most experience grabbing as much power as they can," Pyroclasm elaborated. "The difference being that I don't want to become an Evil Overlord, I just don't want to get murdered by a Supervillain."

"Okay, rule number 2," Black Canary continued. "I will never engage in unethical activities to gain power. If an evil activity can give me infinite cosmic power, it can be reverse engineered to use ethical means instead."

"I like that rule," Artemis said.

"Same, same," Robin said, nodding in between mouthfuls of popcorn.

"Well, how do we know you even have the same kind of ethics that we have?" Kid Flash asked with a frown.

"Have I given you any reason to doubt that I have differing ethics from everyone else?" Pyroclasm asked curiously.

"Well, you…uh…" Kid Flash started to struggle to speak. "You glued a…fire…elemental…thingy to your…soul."

"It's my soul, I'll do what I want with it," Pyro objected. "It's dangerous, not unethical. Besides, the only ethical rule I've been able to find in regards to soul use is 'do not trade it to the devil' and I'm not stupid enough to trade it to someone that's been perfecting the art of swindling people for an eternity."

"A wise policy," Aqualad nodded in appreciation.

"Rule number 3," Black Canary began. "Never hand over control over my body to any being for power, unless the being has proven to be trustworthy and there is a time appointed for the arrangement to end."

"That's the rule that stopped me from putting on the Helmet last night," Pyroclasm added helpfully. "Of course, now that he's proven himself trustworthy, I might rethink my position…"

"Why would you want to hand over control of your body to the helmet?" Kid Flash asked.

Pyroclasm hummed. "Magic Lessons. I'm thinking Magic Lessons. Supplementing my Fire Magic with Order Magic might be the way to go."

"Magic Lessons," Kid Flash rolled his eyes. "Right."

"We're coming back to that," Pyroclasm stated, pointing at Kid Flash. "Just letting you know."

"Whatever," Kid Flash said.

"Rule number 4," Black Canary started. "Are we done? We're done, okay. 4, Do not obtain any power up at cost. If a power up destroys my mind or conscience, it must be refined until those drawbacks are removed."

"So, the Kobra Venom outright breaks one of my rules," Pyroclasm said with a nod.

"This is a good rule, actually," Black Canary nodded. "A lot of villains give themselves powers without paying attention to drawbacks like this; it's how they become villains. Good on you for watching out for this."

"Thank you."

Kid Flash sighed. "Next?"

"Rule Number 5," Black Canary obliged. "Diving headfirst into a powerup without extensive testing and refinement for at least a month is strictly prohibited."

"How did you test the Prometheus Rite?" Robin asked curiously.

"After coming up with it, I infused samples of my blood with cast off elemental energy," Pyroclasm answered, looking at Robin with a nod. "Once we worked out the kinks, we performed the main Rite on me and the rest is history."

"Rule Number…" Black Canary read the rule. Then she read the rule again. "Hang on. You sure you want me to read this one?"

"Rule Number 6?" Pyro asked. "Sure, why no…oh. _Oh_. Right. That rule. Batman told you?"

"He told me there was one," Black Canary replied with a nod. "You made more?"

Pyroclasm hit his hand on the podium. "Ah crap. They didn't catch it for me on purpose, too. I'll bet you that a million bucks."

"What's rule 6?" Kid Flash asked curiously.

"I will always listen to the counsel of my advisors," Pyroclasm recited from memory. "That's why they were made."

"Made?" Kid Flash asked, his eyes widening.

"Look, I'll let you guys in on a secret," Pyroclasm cleared his throat. "I only really dabble in magic, cybernetics and other stuff. My main area of expertise is programming. Specifically, the programming of Artificial Intelligence. I have four and everything else that I can do comes from them doing most of the heavy lifting for me."

"Are you _trying_ to cause the end of the world?" Kid Flash yelped. "Those AI are going to go Rogue, I guarantee it! Then we're all going to be turned into batteries living in a virtual reality."

Pyro simply shook his head. "I seriously doubt it. It's possible, but I doubt it."

"How do you figure they won't?" M'Gann asked with a concerned frown.

"Simplest explanation, I programmed them with ethical personalities and slaved their decision making to them," Pyroclasm explained with a gesture. "I programmed them to be people first, machines second, in other words."

"I hope you know what you're doing, Pyro," Artemis said with a frown of her own.

"Well, I programmed my earliest one when I was ten years old and she hasn't gone rampant yet," Pyroclasm slowly nodded to himself. "I'd say I've got a good track record."

"Okay, that's interesting," Black Canary said to herself. "So, are we ready for the next one on this list?"

"Whenever you're ready," Pyro nodded.

"Rule Number 7," Black Canary read off. "I will take responsibility for the consequences of my actions. 'I never meant for this to happen' is an excuse, and is worthless because it did happen."

"Okay, that's a good one," Kid Flash muttered to himself. "So, you'll have no problem with us pointing fingers at you when your AI go rogue?"

"You could point fingers at me after we're done fixing the problem, should it come to that," Pyroclasm replied airily. "Though if you do it before we're done working, you'd be wasting time you could be using to save people."

"Oh, sure you'll be fine," Kid Flash said with a grin. "There wouldn't be enough time for the rest of your life to fill all the 'I told you so's'."

"I'm shaking in my boots," Pyro replied airily.

"Okay, okay. Let's keep this civil," Black Canary chastised. "Rule number 8…"

She continued, sounding surprised. "Sharing is caring; allowing close allies to the powerups deemed safe is paramount to helping them stay alive."

"I like having friends," Pyro supplemented with nods. "If they died because I didn't share…that would suck."

"You have friends?" Kid Flash snarked.

"I'd like to count Artemis and Aqualad in that number, actually," Pyro explained. "They're great. M'Gann and Superboy would be nice, but I think I annoy and offend them too much."

"It's okay," M'Gann replied with a frown.

Superboy just shrugged.

"Rule number 9." Black Canary's lips pressed into a fine line. "I will have a zero-tolerance policy toward villains that have learned from my example: Using my methods to harm innocents to unacceptable."

"We've already talked about this one, Canary," Pyroclasm pointed out.

"Not in as many words," Black Canary said with a quirked eyebrow. "Are you still planning on enforcing it?"

"Um…." Pyroclasm began, finger pointed out when he remembered something that happened yesterday.

 _You're lucky you're cool,_ Klarion had told him before spiriting away with Abra Kadabra.

"Let's…" Pyroclasm started again, feeling his blood run cold as the implication of his survival yesterday hit him like a bucket of ice water. "Let's just say that the day that I end up having to enforce that rule is going to be interesting and leave it at that."

 _Need to talk to Adjutant first_ , Pyroclasm thought. _Then I talk to the League. Talk to Adjutant, then the League._

"Fine, but remember what I told you about that approach," Black Canary said, looking at the paper.

"I will," Pyroclasm explained.

Wait, wait, wait," Kid Flash held up his hands in a stopping gesture. "Pyro's okay with killing Villains?"

"Depends on the villain," Pyroclasm replied easily.

"And we're okay with this?" Kid Flash asked, looking around.

Robin had stopped for just a second to give Kid Flash the shake of his head.

"No, we aren't," Black Canary replied. "But we've talked about it and we'll keep talking about it. Do you understand?"

"I understand," Pyroclasm nodded.

"Good. Rule number 10," Black Canary replied. "If I do not keep myself humble, life will humble me through its uncaring presence. Stay humble."

"That would be one I think we could all stand to bear in mind," Aqualad said with a nod.

"Agreed," Superboy added.

"Yeah, yeah, humble. Whatever," Kid Flash said. "I don't see how any of this says you should stay on the team. If anything, it just gives us more reason to throw you out."

"Kid Flash, if you can remain on the team even though you carried out a thoughtless and ill-conceived experiment that wasn't even yours," Pyroclasm began. "Then I can remain on the team even though I'm carrying out carefully tested and refined experiments to increase my capabilities."

"Fine," Kid Flash huffed. "Fine, fine! Whatever, you can stay on the team. But I still think you're a lying shyster, though."

"At one point have I lied to you? To any of you?" Pyroclasm asked, making a sweeping gesture to everyone. "I can assure you that I've done my utmost best to be as honest as I can with everyone. Brutally so. Unless you've got one specific instance that you'd like to talk about…"

"You know exactly what I'm talking about," Kid Flash glared at him.

"Really?" Pyroclasm said, a sly smile creeping into the dulcet tones of his voice. "And what might that be?"

"You're the one whose lying, you say it," Kid Flash replied, folding his arms.

"Because as far as I know, I'm not lying," Pyroclasm said. "So, unless you just state your case, I can't clarify this little misunderstanding."

Kid Flash's glare got more severe. "So, you're just deluded, then."

"I'm sure everyone is deluded about something," Pyro replied neutrally. "Come on, what are you talking about."

Kid Flash looked to the side and muttered out just loud enough to come across as a mutter.

"I'm sorry, I didn't quite catch that," Pyroclasm replied, only letting the smallest of smug sing-song creep into his statement.

"You're a fraud," Kid Flash barked out harshly.

"What makes you so sure?" Pyro asked.

"You claim to practice magic but in reality, your AI's created some level of super serum or gas, or radioactive rock or something and it gave you super powers," Kid Flash pointed out. "Admit it. Your 'magic' is just super science Dumbledore'd up to scare the baddies and impress the babes."

"Neither are true," Pyro stated. "What makes you say that I'm not like Zatara or Wotan who gets their abilities from mystical sources?"

"Because all magic is fake," Kid Flash said, dramatically slamming his hand on the podium.

"And there it is," Pyroclasm said triumphantly. "Of course, by your admittance, that means that you were lying to M'Gann for the express purpose of getting into her pants, right?"

"I…" Kid Flash began. "That's disgusting, Pyro."

"Perhaps," Pyro nodded in agreement. "But is it true?"

"I wanted to ask her out, get to know her, maybe start a relationship and get her to see how she was being lied too by those Priests and Priestess's of Mars," Kid Flash debated hotly. "I didn't think it'd open up a shortcut to Home Base. That's…I'd never do that."

"Well, I guess I was a little severe in my initial judgement," Pyro simply shrugged. "I apologize for that. But it still remains that you think myself, Wotan, Zatara and all other magic users are lying and you in turn lied to get something you wanted."

"What does it matter? She's not interested in me," Kid Flash waved off with an angry expression. "She made that perfectly clear."

"I mean, to be honest you should've just taken the hint," Pyroclasm said mirthfully.

"Oh, don't you start," Kid Flash snarled back.

"Alright, I won't," Pyroclasm shrugged. "So, I'll be honest, Kid Flash. I don't _care_ that you don't believe in magic. I don't care if you think I'm a charlatan, I don't care that you think Wotan's an idiot, that Kent was just a scientist pulling the wool over people's eyes or that Zatara is simply a reality warper with Tourette's or _whatever_ it is that you think is going on."

"Oh, you don't," Kid Flash nodded disbelievingly. "Really."

"I also don't care that you think the Martian Race, who have been travelling the stars while we were in caves banging sticks together is dumb enough to believe in something completely fake," Pyroclasm continued, getting more and more serious with each word. "Or that you think that the Atlanteans who are so stupidly ahead of us in tech that every member of their species are idiots who think so called 'magic' is why they can all breathe underwater."

"Well," Kid Flash folded his arms and looked away. "…I mean…"

"But you know what I do care about?" Pyro asked rhetorically, a rage underlying every syllable. "That you tried to take advantage of someone who was, in your view, naïve about how the world actually works for your own gain. That's wrong. It's scummy. To be perfectly honest with you, I think you should hang up the cape because you clearly don't have the moral fiber to be in this business."

"How _dare_ you-!" Kid Flash started hotly. "I've been at this for years! I've put more supervillains away in one week than you've seen in your entire career!"

"I'm sure you have," Pyroclasm replied. "But that's irrelevant. You've recklessly sought after power and lied to a member of the team for personal gain. What's more, you've done nothing but disrespect me after I've tried to offer the olive branch, acting like a jerk. What I'm saying, Wally, is that everything you've ever accused me of being or doing is something that would actually ring true if you hurled those accusations at a mirror."

Kid Flash was shaking with rage, fists clenched and vibrating at super speed. Then he kicked over the podium in front of him, causing it to fade into static before racing off to the zeta tubes.

"Recognized, Kid Flash. B03."

"That went well," Pyroclasm said happily, stepping off the podium.

"Wow," Black Canary let out a breath, rubbing the bridge of her nose. "This is going to be a hard one to explain to the Flash."

"You should probably let me do that," Pyroclasm said airily. "After all, it is my fault."

"I think I will," Black Canary replied.

"I don't think I've ever seen a verbal evisceration like that before," Artemis said, staring at the Zeta Tubes with wide eyes. "When you said scorched Earth…you meant it."

"I hope he's going to be okay," M'Gann said with a frown. "I didn't mean to hurt his feelings like that and…you made it worse, Pyro."

"That I did," Pyro nodded. "That I did. Shame it came to this but…Rule 10's got a mean streak, don't it?"

"It certainly does," Aqualad sighed. "I was hoping this would be done and over with today. Pyro, when Kid Flash comes back, the rest of us are going to talk with him. I don't want you anywhere near that conversation. You understand?"

"Thoroughly," Pyroclasm nodded. "So, when's Zatara showing up?"

"He should be here in half an hour," Black Canary replied, pulling her phone out of her jacket to check.

"Excellent."

* * *

 _Author's Notes: I want to apologize to any here to see this chapter as bashing Kid Flash. It certainly looks that way now that I've written it, but that wasn't my intention at all when I started. I will say that a lot of Kid Flash's anger in the 'debate' section was due to being given the 'lets be friends' talk from Ms. Martian right before the debate and he didn't take it very well. Kid Flash will likely be on the team again in a chapter or two, he just needs some time to clear his head. That, in combination with Kid Flash's prideful and dishonest nature meant things went south somewhat quickly. It's a shame, I really like the Wally West character._

 _Also, I'd like to take this opportunity to thank_ YDdraigGoch94 _for providing Pyroclasm with a TVTropes page! You're awesome and you've got my utmost gratitude. Please, everyone check it out!_

 _Shout out goes out too_ Melden V, Anders Kronquist, Ray Tony Song, makopaulo, Volkogluk, Aaron Bjornson, iolande, Martin Auguado, Julio, Jiopaba, Hackerham, Tim Collins-Squire, Maben00, Devil's Bite, Sultan Saltlick, PostLifeSyndrome, DarthBane _and_ Ventari. _Thank you all so much for your continued support._

 _Until the next time!_

 _~Fulcon_


	13. Chapter 13: Controlled Burn

_The following is a fanbased work of fiction. Young Justice is property of DC Comics, Warner Brothers and Greg Weisman – please support the official release._

* * *

"So, the final item on our docket today is the status of the Junior League," Hawkwoman said, reading from the holographic checklist in front of her. "Black Canary, Red Tornado and Zatara, you're up."

Superman, sitting at the head of the table opposite of Batman, suddenly got this uncomfortable look on his face, like he was ready to bolt for the door at any second. But he held his peace, placing his hands in his lap.

Zatara looked at Black Canary, who gestured for him to go ahead. He cleared his throat and started. "I have spoken to Pyroclasm regarding what is known as the Prometheus Rite. My main concerns that his personality, such as it is, would degrade or warp by virtue of the elemental cast-offs from the Burn. I asked about the specifics and he was fairly open about the details."

"You sound relieved," Captain Marvel stated with his trademark smile.

"I can safely say that my concerns for the safety of his soul have been abated," Zatara nodded in confirmation. "This AI that he made to help him create it is nothing short of a miracle worker."

"We should still be careful," Flash piped up with an extended finger. "We don't know what kind of effect prolonged exposure to the internet would have on a living consciousness."

"I have had similar concerns," Red Tornado added with a nod. "While the internet is a treasure trove of wisdom, knowledge and experience, it also is host to the darkest, most horrific aspects of humanity."

"Given that these AI have all been active for several years, apparently," Batman started with an analytical frown. "We do not need to consider them active threats as of yet. Until we meet them in person, I say we maintain our cautious approach and bar them from accessing League Files."

"Has Pyro tried to get to these files?" John Stewart asked with a pensive look on his face. "He seems like he'd be the type to try."

"We have been keeping an eye on network traffic going out of their house as well as their most frequent mirrors," Batman answered. "He has not made any attempt that we have detected."

"Well, that's a relief," John said. "That means he's actually trustworthy."

"I'm working with Junior League to grind out their tendency to disobey instructions," Black Canary said, sitting up straight. "It's slow going, but with Aqualad as their leader I think we'll turn them into a well-disciplined fighting force. Just give them time."

"That's all well and good, but can we talk about the elephant in the room?" Hawkman asked, his eyes narrowing. "What happened last night? For all our attempts at secrecy, they were all almost thrown out the window when they were almost all seen together by the press."

"It's worse than that," Batman stated. "Online discussion of a side-kick only team has flared up to the point where it's hard to manipulate the forums without giving the game away."

"If someone like Joker decides to go poking around Mount Justice again, he might end up killing one of them," Superman stated with a small frown. "If not all. Does anyone else think the team should go to ground and hide out for a few weeks until discussion and rumors die down?"

"Right now, I'm just wondering what they were doing out in Salem in the first place," Aquaman said with a shake of his head. "And why backup was not called for when the Lord of Chaos showed up."

"Kent Nelson had been missing for several weeks as you are all aware," Red Tornado stated. "I was going to the Tower of Fate to check on him when the Junior League volunteered. I allowed it because I had weighed a eighty percent chance that he was merely on a walkabout."

"You should've called for backup when it turned out there was a Lord of Chaos involved," Zatara snapped with an angry expression. "We could have avoided the press getting involved entirely if we had taken care of the problem before they got there."

"I was attempting to call for reinforcements, but all of my signals were being blocked," Red Tornado explained. "Given that the Press and the gathered crowd still had access to the outside world, the jamming was likely magical in nature."

"In the future, _tell us_ before you head off with our apprentices," Aquaman stated icily. "If Aqualad were injured, I would lay it upon your head. Do you understand?"

"I understand," Red Tornado nodded. "I will inform the League if I take the team out in the future. This nearly wound up in the team being discovered and that would've been a disaster."

"Do we truly need to keep their existence a secret?" Wonder Woman asked with a frown. "We could make the team public and move them to a more secure facility."

"Part of the trouble is that Superboy doesn't use a costume," Green Arrow said, leaning forward and steepeling his fingers. "The hat and glasses trick only works if no one knows you have a secret identity to begin with, am I right?"

"That's true, yes," Superman answered with a nod, looking uncomfortable again. "I get told all the time that I look just like Superman in passing. Then we laugh and they move on with their lives."

"Would not having a more traditional costume actually hurt, though?" Hal Jordon asked with a quirk of his eyebrow. "I mean, he still doesn't have a secret identity…"

"The problem is that he looks like a High-schooler," Batman pointed out. "When people think Kryptonian, they think of large crystal fortresses made out in the artic, primary colors and a bright smile. Superboy might be all the connection people need to think that yes, Superman _can_ dress like a normal person on occasion, live in the city and may have an actual private life. With his choice in occupation being what it is, it wouldn't take long for it to come out in this worst-case scenario."

"Makes sense," Hal replied with a nod. "Got it."

"That's only part of the problem, though," The Flash stated. "Mostly, we just don't want Supervillains looking for them."

"It doesn't feel right that we're operating in secret," Wonder Woman explained with furrowed brows. "Even if it is necessary."

"If only we could work in the open and let the shadows to our enemies," Hawkman replied wistfully. "But the nature of the battlefield we fight on requires a mask and deception."

"Back to the topic," Batman stated. "It has come to my attention that Pyroclasm has not been able to ingratiate himself with the team."

Black Canary took a deep breath. "Pyroclasm and Kid Flash have more or less been at each other's throats since the day they met. In spite of my objections, Aqualad's objections and Ms. Martian's objections, they held a formal debate to attempt to resolve their differences."

"That can't have gone good," Captain Marvel said with raised eyebrows.

"It was a blood bath," Black Canary shook her head. "Pyroclasm won."

"Can we watch this debate?" John asked.

"Sure." Black Canary started typing at the keyboard in front of her. "Let me go ahead and pull it up for you."

The debate started playing, with the two debaters at their podiums.

"They really went all out," Captain Marvel chuckled.

Kid Flash's opening statement played.

"Wait, did Wally really just say he should be thrown off the team for that?" The Flash asked, alarmed. "The whole reason Pyro is there is so he _doesn't_ become a bad guy. Am I wrong?"

"You are correct," Batman replied. "There's not much actual worry that he'll become a villain, we're mostly just trying to funnel and contain his power-seeking compulsions."

"Okay," Flash took a breath.

As the debaters on-screen continued, Pyroclasm's list came out.

Batman grunted. "You should have just put the list on a holographic screen."

"In hindsight, I agree," Black Canary nodded. "Reading them off one by one let Pyroclasm take way too much control of the debate. I was trying to be neutral."

They continued, until Rule 9 was read off. Pyroclasm went quiet for a minute and then said the day he'd have to enforce that rule would be interesting.

"Freeze playback," Batman said. "Did any of you catch how he froze there?"

"I did," Superman nodded. "He just realized he might have to worry about enforcing it _now_ , right?"

"I believe so," Batman nodded, typing at his keyboard and bringing up another video feed. "Look at this footage of last night's fiasco."

"Klarion is standing right in front of him," Zatara said, aghast. "After he tried to roast his familiar, no less!"

"How is he still alive?" Aquaman asked with a similarly shocked expression.

"I'll be talking with him about this tomorrow," Batman said neutrally. "What I discover will be sent in a memo to your League email. Read it in preparation for next week's meeting."

"One does not simply take a zero-tolerance policy with a Lord of Chaos," Zatara shook his head in disbelief. "Does anyone know what they talked about?"

"I will ask him about it tomorrow," Batman stated again. "Resume playback."

As the debate ended, The Flash took on a very, very serious expression. Aquaman raised his eyebrow and Martian Manhunter placed his hands on the table as Pyro started talking about the implications of Kid Flash's disbelief in magic before ending it with a summation of Kid Flash's hypocrisy. "…and hurled those accusations at a mirror."

Kid Flash kicked the podium and ran off.

"Freeze playback."

Flash leaned back. "Answer me this. Was Kid Flash really badgering M'Gann as described?"

Black Canary and Red Tornado looked at each other for a moment.

"Yes, he has tried very hard to obtain a date with M'Gann," Red Tornado nodded.

"I was trying to hint to M'Gann that she should say something to him," Black Canary replied with a concerned look on her face. "Last night, apparently, Pyroclasm told her to shut him down and she…did."

"M'Gann would have been quite hesitant to say anything about it," Martian Manhunter began to explain. "In Martian society, it's very rude to outright object to someone's affections because they can't help but voice them telepathically."

"Well, that would've been nice to know," Black Canary sighed. "I had assumed she was handling earth culture fairly well. Apparently, she's got a lot more ground to cover than I thought."

Flash grunted. "Why wasn't I told?"

"I was trying to get M'Gann to learn how to stand up for herself," Black Canary answered with an apologetic tone. "Wally's a good kid, so I figured it was a good way to learn. But…I had misread the situation entirely. I'm sorry, Flash. You're right, we should have told you."

"What about you?" Flash pointed at Red Tornado. "Why didn't you say anything?"

"The team has made it abundantly clear on a multitude of occasions that they do not want much oversight," Red Tornado explained. "I had figured that this would be much like a public-school setting and it would only be necessary to call you in the case of emergency."

"Of course, they don't want much oversight," Captain Marvel replied. "They're teenagers and they want to prove that they can handle anything that an adult can. However, their brains aren't fully developed yet and they just aren't very mature so…unfortunately, they can't. That fact drives them crazy but, if you don't mind me saying as someone who doesn't have a sidekick, they need more oversight."

"I've been saying it all along," John said with a shake of a head. "You can't just throw them in the deep end like that. I mean, sending them on a mission without appointing a leader?"

"That's been discussed to death," Superman pointed out. "We all agreed that it was a mistake and that we overestimated their decision making. We don't need to bring it up again."

"I didn't mean to revive that discussion," John amended. "I was just trying to use it as an example for what Captain Marvel was saying."

"And Captain Marvel is right," Batman pointed out. "They need greater oversight and more one on one training. At the very least, until it is safe for them to undergo operations as a team again."

"I will definitely take more time to familiarize M'Gann with Earth culture," Martian Manhunter said, shaking his head. "I have been negligent and I need to rectify that."

"There's just one small problem with that," Green Arrow pointed out. "Who's going to be giving this one on one time to Superboy and Pyro?"

The entire table looked directly at Superman.

Superman sighed and rubbed his eyes. "I'm wondering if I shouldn't take a vacation myself."

"Let's not bring up that discussion again," Captain Marvel said quickly. "We can't force this and I don't think we should try."

"Maybe you should handle that one," Captain Atom spoke up from his seat. "You're cheerful, friendly, got a good head, just about everything that young man could use right about now."

"I don't know about that one," Captain Marvel replied with a sheepish smile, rubbing the back of his head. "I've never had a sidekick before and there's…I don't know."

"It might be good practice for the future," Batman responded. "You don't need to be his parent, just his friend and teacher."

"Put the Wisdom of Solomon to greater use, I say," Zatara said with a nod. "Share it with someone who needs it. I like this idea."

"But, well," Captain Marvel began, looking uncomfortable. He looked around. "If you guys really think I can do it?"

There were nods of agreement around the table.

"Okay, I'll give it a shot," Captain Marvel said, taking a breath as the weight of the responsibility started to lay itself on his shoulders. "You guys don't mind if I ask you a bunch of questions, right?"

"That is completely acceptable," Batman responded.

"Now what about Pyroclasm?" Captain Atom asked with a raised eyebrow. "I'd do it, but I don't have any time."

"You'd actually take on a sidekick," Hal Jordon repeated in surprise.

"Well, only if it was him," Captain Atom replied. "He's tougher than nails and doesn't take anyone's guff, something we need more of in our business. But he does need to learn when the time has come for a complete dressing down. Because that? That was not it."

"One of the Lanterns, perhaps?" Diana suggested.

"The Guardians would have conniptions if they learned he existed," Hal responded with a shake of his head. "We'd like to keep him out of their books and off of their list."

"What about you, Wonder Woman?" Black Canary asked. "Unless him being male is too much of hurdle?"

"Most of my time is spent either performing tasks on or for Themyscira," Wonder Woman shook her head. "As much as I believe Themyscira should consider rescinding its decree that no man should walk it's surface, it is not my decision."

"Too much of a hurdle," Hawkwoman shook her head. "Hawkman and I would do it, if I weren't sure we'd bash his head in later if his reputation is even somewhat earned."

"Oh, it's earned," Black Canary nodded vigorously. "It's very, very earned. Aquaman? Could Kal'dur use a study-buddy? Pyro has said he considers him a friend."

"Has he given himself water breathing?" Aquaman asked.

"No, I don't think so," Black Canary let out a breath.

"Good," Aquaman also let out a breath, this one in relief. "I was worried for a moment."

"About what?" Green Arrow asked curiously.

"That his AI had somehow cracked Atlantean Technosorcery," Aquaman replied.

"Zatara, do you have time in your busy schedule to do it?" Batman asked.

"Absolutely not," Zatara shook his head. "The only way it would work would be to allow him to share magic lessons with my daughter."

"I figured as much," Batman responded. "So that leaves Superman, Red Tornado, Green Arrow, Black Canary and Martian Manhunter."

"I don't think that's a good idea," Superman pointed out.

"Agreed," Batman nodded.

"I have very little to offer Pyroclasm that he doesn't already know," Red Tornado responded matter-of-factly. "So I will refuse."

"I will have my hands full with bringing M'Gann fully up to speed on Earth Culture," Martian Manhunter intoned with a frown. "I will have to say no."

"I need to go back over my Psychology books," Black Canary shook her head. "Given the…mistakes that I've made over the past few months, I don't believe it would be appropriate for me to be spending too much time with the main party involved in the team's social disputes."

"I got to bow out too," Green Arrow replied. "I'm trying to get my first protégé to talk to me still and working with the guy who talked back to him is gonna impede that."

Batman let out a small, quiet breath of frustration. "I understand that everyone has busy schedules and many of you are burdened with already having a Protégé or some other concern. But someone has to do it. We cannot afford to have one of the Junior League's members feel alienated through lack of contact."

"Well, is there anyone outside of the League that we can trust with something like this?" Black Canary asked with a frown.

Batman cupped his chin in thought. "No. Too risky."

"You were thinking of Jason Blood, huh?" Superman asked with a raised eyebrow.

"I was," Batman nodded. "But giving Pyro too much knowledge too quickly might overpower his, admittedly sturdy, common sense."

"I think you are correct," Wonder Woman added.

* * *

The Flash, or rather, Barry Allen took a deep breath. He was dressed in his civilian clothes, a button up shirt and slacks. He rapped his knuckles on the door before him.

"Who is it?" Wally asked from the other side.

"It's your Uncle Barry," Barry called back. "Can I come in?"

"Sure," Wally replied. "Door's open."

Barry slowly turned the knob and opened the door. Wally was sitting on his bed, dressed in full uniform and aggressively eating a nutrient bar. He had a few black scuff marks on his uniform. "Were you just out on patrol?"

"Yeah," Wally responded with a full mouth. "Had to blow off some steam. You know."

"I heard about your, uh, debate," Barry said, stepping inside and closing the door behind him. "You want to talk about it?"

"No," Wally replied.

"No, huh?" Barry said, moving to sit on the bed. "I understand, you've just had a rough day."

Wally stuffed the bar into his mouth and chewed defiantly.

"So, the League talked about the team," Barry started.

"Oh yeah?" Wally asked with interest. Then he swallowed the bar. "What'd you guys talk about?"

"Given how the team is supposed to be a secret and you guys more or less almost went public last night on accident," Barry started with a raised eyebrow. "We decided that you guys need to hide out for a bit. Not meet so much and go back to one on one stuff for a while. After a few weeks, you'll be back to working together like nothing happened."

"Really?" Kid Flash asked with a raised eyebrow. "So, who's going to be giving Pyro this one on one time?"

"We're still working on that," Barry responded.

"So, no one then," Kid Flash read between the lines with a smirk. "Serves him right."

"No, we're still working on it," Barry corrected. "I get that you're mad at him, but try to calm down, alright?"

"Why?" Kid Flash barked angrily. "Why is that idiot still being allowed on the team? He regularly insults everyone, believes in freaking _magic_ and he's flirting with the apocalypse with those AI's!"

"The team's main caretaker is a robot built in the forties," Barry reminded him.

"Red Tornado has a body and isn't constantly being fed information from the internet," Kid Flash rejoined with a glare. "It's not the same thing and you know it."

"That's true," Barry nodded. "But that doesn't mean they're going to go rogue. We don't actually know that and it's poor science to simply assume the results before they actually happen."

Kid Flash took in a breath, then let it out. "You're right. Still, though. The other things."

"It is a pretty bad thing that he keeps insulting everyone," Barry nodded with a frown. "But is it really everyone, or is it just you?"

"Everyone," Kid Flash repeated emphatically, bringing his knees up and folding his arms over them with a glare.

"Well, Batman is going to be talking with him tomorrow," Barry answered. "That habit of his will probably come up."

"Good," Kid Flash replied vengefully.

"But Wally, I need to ask," Barry started carefully. "Why do you think we let Pyro on the team?"

"I don't know," Kid Flash stated. "He's just some random fire guy you just pulled from the street that claims to also be a good programmer."

"You think we'd just let anyone off the street into our special, secret team with our trusted proteges?" Flash asked with a raised eyebrow and a smirk.

"Well," Kid Flash looked a little lost for words. "I don't know."

"Wally, we put him up with you guys thinking you might be able to stop him from going villain," Barry explained. "We thought that having some connections to people his age that are fighting the good fight constantly would be good for him and help him stay on the side of angels."

"Oh, that's great," Kid Flash replied, exasperated. "Just great. There's just the small thing that he's only in the team for the potential powerups. You know his first reaction to learning about the Blockbuster formula was to inject it?"

"Nope," Barry shook his head.

"It's insane," Kid Flash grumbled. "He admits it too. I don't think we can _stop_ him from going villain. I think he's already there."

"Wally, come on," Barry shook Kid Flash's shoulder lightly. "That's a little harsh, huh?"

"No," Kid Flash replied.

"Wally, there's nothing wrong with creating AI, or researching a super serum to give you powers," Barry said, leaning forward and clasping his hands together. "If it were, Red Tornado wouldn't be on the Justice League and neither would I."

"I know," Kid Flash grumbled. "I just…"

"He rubs you the wrong way?" Barry asked.

"He does it on purpose," Kid Flash groused.

"I don't doubt that for a second," Barry nodded understandingly. "Some people are like that, but it's a good experience for you. Heck, Batman used to rub me the wrong way all the time. Didn't like how much of a grouch he was."

"Yeah, I remember you telling me about that," Kid Flash replied. "What'd you do to make him stop?"

"Nothing," Barry replied, shrugging. "I got used to him, he got used to me and we respect each other's work a lot, but we aren't friends. So, there's nothing wrong with being on a team with someone you don't like."

"But he's a walking turd pile," Kid Flash protested angrily.

"I won't argue that," Barry replied. "He definitely has issues he needs to work through and he will, if Batman has anything to say about it. But Wally, the only person you can really control and force to do something is you. So, you need to be the better man here and let it go."

"But-I don't," Kid Flash continued to protest.

"Kid Flash, do you want to sink to his level?" Barry asked with a raised eyebrow.

"No," Kid Flash grumbled. "It just sucks."

"I know it does," Barry nodded. "Just try. For me, alright?"

Kid Flash took a breath. "Yeah, alright. He's still a jerk though."

"That's my nephew," Barry replied, smiling and ruffling Kid Flash's hair. Then he stood up and walked toward the door. "One last thing, a bit of advice."

"Shoot," Wally replied.

"Don't look for a relationship in the team," Barry suggested.

"Hey, I thought M'Gann would at least give me a chance if I asked enough," Kid Flash replied defensively, pointing at Barry. "You know, I thought she might've been playing hard to get or something."

"This isn't about that. I mean, it would've helped, but it's not all about that," Barry explained. "The crimefighting business? It's stressful, it's dangerous and above all, it can consume your whole life if you aren't careful. So, if you're in the business and when you come home and you just need to destress and decompress and your partner is also in the business. I mean, it can work, but…personally, I'd think I'd go crazy if I came home and say, your aunt was out on patrol and maybe I couldn't contact her because she was sneaking into some bad guys lair or something? I'd go crazy with worry."

"I guess that makes sense," Kid Flash nodded. "I still think super heroines are infinitely hotter though."

"That's your call, I was just giving advice," Barry shrugged. "I mean, if it helps avoid any other cultural misunderstandings with Martian women, I'd think it's worth it."

"No kidding," Kid Flash shook his head. "I'm never assuming a girl's playing hard to get again."

"Well, sometimes they are, though," Barry shrugged.

"How can you tell?" Kid Flash asked with a frown.

"Lots of ways. Facial expressions, things they do like playing with their hair, that kind of thing," Barry explained. "Hey, I'll grab your Dad and let's head over to my place. We can talk about it over the massive tub of ice cream that your aunt bought today."

"My Dad?" Kid Flash scoffed. "What does he know?"

"Well, he knows enough to have helped make you," Barry scoffed himself. "Besides, he's actually better with women than _me_."

"If you say so," Kid Flash said, standing up.

"I do say so."

* * *

 _Author's Note: Well, that went smoother than I was anticipating. I hope you all enjoyed the chapter and the talks at the end. Next chapter is going to have Pyro talking with his AI's. I hope you like them and what comes about from them since we haven't seen them in like nine chapters now._

 _Anyway, shout out goes out too_ PBookR _, our newest Super Patron. Thank you so much for your contribution, it really helps me out. Also, a huge shout out too_ Melden V, Anders Kronquist, Ray Tony Song, makopaulo, Volkogluk, Aaron Bjornson, iolande, Martin Auguado, Julio, Jiopaba, Hackerham, Tim Collins-Squire, Maben00, Sultan Saltlick, PostLifeSyndrome, DarthBane _and_ Ventari. _You guys are the best._

 _Until the next time!_

 _~Fulcon_


	14. Chapter 14: Interlude: Refiners Fire

_The following is a fanbased work of fiction. Young Justice is property of DC Comics, Warner Brothers and Greg Weisman – please support the official release._

* * *

 _True refinement seeks simplicity._

 _~Bruce Lee_

* * *

 _Dear Mr. -blizzard._

 _I hope your parents are ashamed of you. You're just as bad as Zsasz was, you know that?_

 _My Mom is in a mental ward, would you kill her too?_

 _-ing kill yourself. If I see you in public, I'll help you along with my 12 gauge._

 _~Go-Yourself._

 _Received by e-mail June 2_ _nd_ _, 2010. Anonymous sender. Censored by Unit Adjutant v 6.923. Police Report submitted six seconds after receiving e-mail._

* * *

"So…let me get this straight," Doc began, a very dangerous glint shining off of his glasses. "You agreed to a showy, big style debate, one with a lot of posh, pinnace and emotional importance. Then you both went for a jugular and emerged victorious, guaranteeing that not only is a member of your team, who you are trusting your life to, is going to hate you for the rest of his life but also likely pissing off his mentor, one of the founding members of the Justice League. Is that right?"

"Basically, yeah," Mike nodded.

Doc's avatar immediately grabbed a nearby monitor and started slamming his head against it as fast as he could.

"Pointing out a hypocrite's hypocrisy is not an efficient way to make them stop being a hypocrite," Adjutant stated neutrally. "Did he make you angry?"

"He opened the debate by saying I should be thrown out of the only group of peers that I've been able to stand for the past fifteen years," Mike answered with a cold glare. "Yeah, he upset me more than a bit."

"Weren't you already livid about him being a dishonest, self-righteous jerk?" Vulcan asked calmly, lowering his sunglasses to look at Mike.

"Oh absolutely," Mike nodded. "That just…set the pot to a boil."

"Well, you would've been able to avoid that if you had skipped on the whole debate thing and just told him that you had a problem with him lying to Ms. Martian," Vulcan responded, grabbing a cigar from somewhere off screen, clipping and lighting it. "You just made it look like you came up with an evil plan to murder Kid Flash with words and that can't be helping the perception that you're one bad day away from trying to exterminate all life on Earth."

"Are you sure you don't want to introduce us to the League?" Jaina asked with a frown. "I think I might be able to snap Kid Flash out of his disbelief in magic, at the very least."

"It doesn't matter if Kid Flash knows that a portal to hell is going to open and summon the devil," Michael began, shaking his head with a frown. "Or has deluded himself into believing someone is opening a dimensional portal to bring in a giant, hyper intelligent eldritch abomination or something. As long as he gets the gist of it, he can delude himself about the specifics all he wants."

"That just bugs me though," Jaina said with a frustrated groan. "Like, a lot."

"Oh, believe me, I think it's ridiculous too," Mike said with a groan, reaching for the bottle of root beer sitting on his desk and taking a swig. "I can work with him, I don't have to like him. Or think he's smart. Which is a shame because I think we could be great friends."

"How can you be so casual about this?" Doc asked, now that he had put a hole through the monitor with his head. "Can you not see the social dynamics in place? Mike, you're splitting the team up at the center!"

"Aqualad and Robin aren't stupid," Mike responded with a deep sigh. "They both know Kid Flash was in the wrong."

"It's not about whether he was right or wrong," Doc objected. "It's about the fact that he's their longtime friend against a relative new-comer, you. They're probably going to stick with him over you and defend him just on that alone. It's evolutionary social dynamics, Mike, and you can't fight that."

"Your acerbic nature is causing a divide in the team right down the middle," Adjutant pointed out. "Robin, Kid Flash and Aqualad are all objecting to your presence."

"So you're saying I should not object to a new member actively being shunned in favor of an old friend or someone lying to a girl to get in on their good side," Mike asked with a glare.

"I did not say anything about your justified objections," Adjutant replied as neutrally as ever. "I am merely saying that your caustic manner poisoned your efforts."

"Oh," Mike let out a breath. "Well, that's true."

"We're not saying you can't or shouldn't stand up to Kid Flash," Doc said kindly. "Simply that you need to do so diplomatically."

Mike started to make gagging noises. "Look, I wasn't trying to convince Kid Flash, that was a lost cause. I was trying to use facts and logic to sway anyone who might've been undecided."

"You mean like you do when you start a flame war on the internet," Jaina said, sounding decidedly less than impressed.

"Exactly," Pyro nodded.

"Who would've been the undecided parties in this scenario?" Vulcan asked. His avatar took off the sunglasses and wiped them off with his shirt.

"The Justice League itself," Mike replied. "Because Black Canary didn't want to call Kid Flash out on anything, I went for a way that would get all of their attention."

"I was under the impression you were joking," Adjutant said with a quirk of her eyebrow.

"Half joking," Pyro replied. "But KF, arrogant SOB that he is, couldn't resist to make the 'beatdown' official. So, I took the opportunity that he provided."

"Look, just stop. Being. Caustic," Doc demanded, slamming both of his hands down on an unseen table.

"No."

"Do you want to get thrown off the team?" Doc pleaded, the glare off of his glasses fading to reveal a very concerned pair of dark brown eyes. "Come on, this is serious."

"I might end up quitting the team, actually," Mike replied with a downcast expression.

"This isn't about Klarion, is it?" Jaina asked with a frown. "That's not exactly something you can handle on your own."

"It's not about handling it," Mike replied. "Even if I didn't mean for it to happen, my presence there gave Klarion an idea. If he starts abducting random people to graft random bits of magical energy to their souls because he got the idea from me, that is a consequence of my actions."

"Which actions?" Vulcan asked. "The part where you helped coordinate a hostage rescue or where you took on one of the most dangerous supervillains on the planet by yourself to protect your teammates secret identities?"

"It doesn't matter what I intended, what matters is what happened," Mike replied with a frown. "That's what Rule Seven is all about and if the Justice League wants to stop me from getting the powerups I need to enforce Rule Nine on a Lord of Chaos, then I'll need to distance myself from the team until it's taken care of."

"That's no call for such a drastic action," Doc laughed nervously. "We don't need to Justice League to give us stuff, really, uh…Jaina, you mind sharing what you and Vulcan have been working on?"

"Gladly," Jaina said, bringing a scroll up to her face to read.

"Oh, have you made any progress on recreating the Power Ring technology like I asked, Vulcan?" Mike asked idly with a smirk.

"Don't be stupid," Vulcan replied flatly. "I think I've made some headway on nanotechnology, but it's somewhat more magical that I was originally anticipating."

Mike blinked. "Wait, really?"

"Really," Jaina confirmed. "A few weeks ago, when you were talking with Ms. Martian about Sympathetic Magic, I got inspired. So, I started trawling the internet and I found some interesting stuff."

"What'd you find?" Mike asked.

"I found some fairly plausible arcane theory, for starters," Jaina started. "But the really interesting bit was a paper theory crafting what Sympathetic Magic would be capable of. Then it hit me, we could use it with the Prometheus Rite."

"You take a big block of metal or trash or something and imbue that with traits from each of the elemental planes," Vulcan added. "Shape-shifting from the Red, Flight from the White, division on a cellular level from the Divide, and so on. You could take elemental energy from them and give it back once you extract the traits you want."

"Did you just say you could make a suit of armor that can transmute itself into whatever I want?" Mike asked with wide eyes.

"Essentially, yeah," Vulcan nodded. "I'm already drawing up blueprints, but they're all theoretical. You understand."

"We'll need to do some testing on the Sympathetic Rites that I've been cooking up, but the principles behind them are sound," Jaina continued. "We could also use these principles to create a super-serum like Doc's been wanting."

"I didn't even think of that!" Doc sounded shocked. "That'd be _amazing!_ Vulcan, could you build a hyperdrive or something and we can extract the massive acceleration and speed for, well, Super Speed!"

"The concept is sound," Vulcan nodded. "But I have no idea how to build a Hyperdrive. What we might do is extract that level of speed from a highly concentrated set of extracted elemental matter from the White."

"We can only do this serum once, right?" Mike asked with a raised eyebrow. "To much chance for conflict with later serums."

"Eh…" Doc gave a wishy-washy motion with his hand. "Maybe. It'd be wise to make the serum as awesome as possible at first so we have more time to test possible upgrades."

"If it even exists, you could also extract the possibility to be 'upgraded' from the Metal," Jaina pointed out. "Since that's where all the Machine elementals are. We'd have to figure out how to extract matter from there, which shouldn't be too hard…again, if it exists."

"Speaking of which, has any of you noticed a type of connection to such a place?" Mike asked with a raised eyebrow. "Anyone?"

"I do not believe we would recognize such a connection if it occurred," Adjutant answered. "So, I do not know. Now, in light of Klarion, theoretically, taking inspiration from you, I must again recommend that you allow us to make first contact the Justice League as soon as possible."

"The longer we remain an unknown, the harder it'll be for us to let them know that we don't want to blow up the world," Doc said with a nod.

"If they're going to deal with Klarion, they'll need all the help they can get," Jaina added on to it. "And if we can help smooth things over with your team, bonus."

"Look, practically, we've gotten about near as far as we can on our own in the internet," Vulcan began to wrap it up. "The amount you've been able to do while only going slightly crazy is impressive but we're at the end. We need more data. Real data. Not mountains of conjecture and flawed theory. We need the League, and so do you."

Mike took a breath. "Fine. Fine! I'll give you guys a call from the cave tomorrow, I'll introduce you to Red Tornado or Black Canary or Batman if he's there."

All four of the AI's let out sounds of relief and happiness.

"Great. Yay. Now if that's that, I'd like to get back on topic," Mike drummed his fingers on his arm. "The best short-term solution to Klarion is Doctor Fate and since he's proven willing to remove the helmet means he can be negotiated with."

"I would just like to remind you that putting the Helmet of Fate on is in direct violation of Rule Three," Adjutant piped up. "But it does allow for provisions for the arrangement to end. Just ensure you can come to a reasonable agreement."

"Magic lessons on the weekends in return for being a puppet," Mike shook his head. "That's the deal."

"Makes sense to me," Doc said, nodding. "Just be careful with the mind-control helmet. We were made to help you, not an old fart that calls himself a Lord of Order."

"I'll do my best."

* * *

 _Hey, -wit,_

 _Drop dead. Criminals are people too, you don't get to decide who lives or dies. Get a life, call the cops like a normal person!_

 _You don't incinerate people, that's cruel and disgusting, - -!_

 _I hope you go to jail for your entire life you piece of -. People like you shouldn't be allowed outside. -ing vigilantes thinking they're Batman or something just because they can kill the mentally ill._

 _You're sick. You know what, I bet you're going to get Victor's cell in Arkham you brain damaged -wipe. Get cancer._

 _~[Name Withheld]_

 _Received June 3_ _rd_ _, 2010. Censored by Unit Adjutant v 6.923._

* * *

"Recognized, Pyroclasm. B08."

Mike, now dressed up in full uniform, stepped into the cave. Since a Zeta Tube entrance had been mercifully installed in Blüdhaven, it was only a short walk to actually get to the cave now. Of course, it was nearly ten o'clock at night now, so it was likely that this visit would be scrutinized or asked about later.

That was fine, as far as Mike was concerned. He planned on telling them about Klarion anyway, so it didn't matter much that he was putting his stopgap solution in place. Conner and M'Gann were likely watching TV together or something else. They would know he arrived, but Mike wanted to get in and out as quickly as possible.

Of course, it rested in the cave's trophy room. The fact that it hadn't actually been touched in the day since the tower incident almost seemed like a crime. It wasn't even locked behind glass or a cage or anything, it was just sitting on a shelf, right beside Professor Ojo's eye.

Mike simply grabbed the helmet and shoved it on top of his balaclava. Instantly, he was transported to a plane of infinite blackness with a pool on the ground beside his feet showing what he was seeing.

"Well, now. I wasn't expecting to see you."

Mike turned and saw Kent Nelson standing there with his staff in hand. "Truth be told, I didn't even think Nabu would consider allowing you to put the helmet on, but I guess there's a few surprises left in store for an old codger like me."

"I hadn't even considered that," Mike said, extending a hand. "Michael Winter, nice to meet you."

"Kent Nelson," Kent replied. "We've met. And yes, I must say I'm shocked."

"I have no objection to Michael as he is," A deep, great voice echoed in the darkness and above them, in a bright halo of golden light descended the Helm of Fate.

"Are you sure?" Kent asked with a frown. "His soul is…"

"On fire," Michael finished with a nod.

"It is the nature of fire to fuse, refine and create," Nabu replied. "There is no law against what he has done. His intentions are not evil and his methods are orderly. He will do."

"Nice," Mike nodded, looking down. "Did he just teleport me to the Tower of Fate?"

"He did," Kent nodded. "So, what made you come put on the helmet? I thought you had rules against this sort of thing."

"The fact that Nabu was willing to let Aqualad go so quickly is what made me reconsider," Mike replied. "As for why, Klarion appears to have…taken a liking to me."

"Yes, I see the memory," Nabu explained, the vision of which played out transparently over the screen of his vision. "You have done well to call upon the powers of Fate."

"You know, I was expecting a lot more yelling about how I was a chaotic spawn of the devil and how I had doomed the world," Mike replied with a raised eyebrow.

"Oh no, Nabu can be very reasonable," Kent replied with a nod. "Just very time consuming."

"Well, I figured that he took a lot of time," Michael muttered. "So, here's the deal. I put on the Helmet on weekends or if I have some spare time. In return, I want magic lessons."

"That is not nearly enough time," Nabu responded.

"It's the time that I got," Pyro shrugged. "Your other alternative is to wait until someone comes a long with nothing but time on their hands so they can just sit in their heads all day doing nothing."

"Surely there are others that will make up the time you cannot," Nabu asked. "Kal'dur or perhaps M'Gann might be of service?"

"Eh, I could ask him once I get out," Mike shrugged his shoulders. "I doubt M'Gann would be willing, though. I'm not opposed to others being Doctor Fate, just that magic lessons are the price of my time and I only have weekends available. Also, I will need a time directed when the Helmet comes off."

"That's a smart idea," Kent Nelson mused. "Perhaps that's something I should've done when I was still running around with the helmet on my head."

"Name your timeframe," Nabu stated immediately.

"On Saturdays and Sundays, we have training periods from 1pm to 5pm. My curfew on both of these days is 11pm," Mike explained. "I can get to the cave at nine in the morning and you can do Lord of Order things until noon, when I have lunch. Then I go into the training exercise and put the helmet back on at six. Then you give me back my body at ten so I have more than enough time to go home. That gives you sixteen hours in the week for you to prepare and try to counteract Klarion and whatever else shows up."

"Sixteen hours out of one-hundred and sixty-eight is not very much," Nabu objected. "I understand you have your mortal life to deal with, but I will need more than that. Much more."

"Well, I am also considering plans to grow you a new host," Mike continued. "You know, give you a clone. Actually, how necessary is a soul for you to have a host."

"It is absolutely necessary," Nabu explained. "The point of the bond is to provide framework and context to the binding forces of Order. Without it, I would fall to chaos in such a way that Klarion could not even dream of."

"Too much of one thing throws everything into whack, I got you," Mike nodded. "That makes things a lot more complicated, though. I was hoping to just hand you a soulless human body and call it good."

"I'm afraid it is never quite so simple," Nabu replied. "But I commend your ingenuity and willingness to try, nonetheless. Kent?"

"Yes?" Kent said.

"You failed to bring me a replacement host for many years," Nabu stated. "You will take care of Michael's magical lessons until a better host can be found."

Kent let out a breath. "As you wish."

"Michael, I agree to your terms," Nabu explained. "But there will be consequences if you fall short."

"I'll do my best," Michael nodded. "What standards are you looking for in a new host?"

"One who is magically inclined, if not gifted, and can wear the helmet for forty hours a week at the very least," Nabu explained matter-of-factly. "Then ownership of the Helmet may be passed to them. Until then, the Helmet of Fate will be entrusted to your care."

"Well, that should take care of any doubts that I'll go villain," Mike muttered to himself.

"Today, I must request that we extend the time I have with you by one hour," Nabu said. "It is nearly 10."

"That's fine, we can go to eleven," Mike replied. "As long as you drop me at home afterwards and I can be let off early on Sunday."

"It shall be done," Nabu said.

Kent started to chuckle, shaking his head. "You just came in here and got a straight bargain from a Lord of Order. You know Nabu is going to start asking you for more and more time?"

"As long as he lets me off with less and less time in recompense, I don't see it becoming that much of an issue," Mike replied. "Now, my actual capability to perform magic is kind of…low."

"How do you mean?" Kent asked with a furrowed brown.

"I rely on a potion to cast even the most basic rituals," Mike replied, letting out a breath.

"Is that so?" Kent asked with a raised eyebrow. "How's it taste?"

"Foul," Mike almost spat out. "So, if we could stick to theory for a bit, I'd appreciate it."

"Alright, fair enough," Kent nodded. "If you don't mind me asking, did you just put the helmet on because you wanted any old magic or did you want Order magic in particular?"

"Well, I wasn't really going to be picky," Mike answered with a shrug. "But I am happy it's Order magic, though. Might be exactly what I need."

"How so?" Kent asked with a raised eyebrow.

"I glued a fire elemental to my soul," Mike replied. "You know that. Well, fire has this tendency to destroy, burn down and cause pain, suffering and property damage. But controlled fire can create steel, warm and light a house and even put out a wild fire ravaging a forest. Supplementing what I've got with Order magic would help me stick to the latter category instead of inching into the former."

"Oh, you know…that's true," Kent started to nod with a satisfied smile on his face. "Alright, the first thing you need to know about Order Magic, Michael, is…"

* * *

 _We, the Gotham Committee for Criminal Rights, do hereby write this statement in response to the death of Victor Zsasz, a mentally unwell man who was in no way responsible for his actions._

 _In respects to the court of Gotham v Winter, we urge all those in attendance to remember that the Death Penalty has been illegal in the state of Connecticut since 1969 and that the death of any those who have been ruled criminally insane would be prosecuted to the full any self-styled vigilante should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law._

 _The murderer in this case, Michael Winter has been judged sane and in possession of all his faculties and as such, has no right to enforce any form of judgement or punishment upon the unfortunate victim, Victor Zsasz. Zsasz was mentally ill and could not be held to any form of accountability. As such, Michael Winter should have faced imprisonment for his crime against humanity._

 _We of the Committee find this ruling of Justifiable Homicide to be a travesty of justice and a trampling of the civil rights of the mentally unwell and criminals alike and would call for mistrial, were it not for widespread prejudice against patients such as Victor Zsasz. We call upon Mayor Gill to fight for the Mentally Ill's right to treatment without prejudice, and the courts to abolish Justifiable Homicide from Gotham's lawbooks._

 _If such laws are not abolished and such behavior is allowed to continue without so much as a slap on the wrist, the safety and welfare of those who are sick and afflicted with mental disease would be in grave jeopardy._

 _Signed Dr. Harleen Frances Quinzel, Dr. Fredrick Ezekiel Eisenhower, June Valery DeWitt, Attorney at Law._

 _Statement Published April 14_ _th_ _by the Gotham Committee for Criminal Rights. No further Legal action was taken following the Justifiable Homicide ruling on Gotham v Winter._

 _-Dr. Quinzel is suspected of being mentally unstable herself, while Dr. Eisenhower and Attorney DeWitt both have some evidence that they are corrupt. I have been unable to determine who is paying them or why their organization is being bankrolled but I will continue to monitor their activities. ~Adjutant_

* * *

 _Author's Notes: Well, that didn't take long at all. I must say, my muse kind of jumped on me here. Bit of a different chapter here, going over some of the hate-mail that Mike got on a regular basis. It's lightened up considerably since he hasn't been in the spotlight, but he still gets some. Let me know what you think._

 _Shout out goes out too_ Melden V, Anders Kronquist, Ray Tony Song, makopaulo, Volkogluk, Aaron Bjornson, iolande, Martin Auguado, Julio, Jiopaba, Hackerham, Tim Collins-Squire, Maben00, Sultan Saltlick, PostLifeSyndrome, DarthBane, Ventari _and_ PbookR. _Thank you all so much, you are the best._

 _Until the next time!_

 _~Fulcon_


	15. Chapter 15: Faces in Flame

_The following is a fanbased work of fiction. Young Justice is property of DC Comics, Warner Brothers and Greg Weisman – please support the official release._

* * *

Wally's father, Rudolph West, was very much the opposite of Wally himself; cool, collected and very, very, mellow. As opposed to either Barry's striking blonde hair or Wally's fiery red, he had dark brown and a mustache on his face.

"And that is how you tell if a girl is playing hard to get," Rudolph finished wrapping it up and taking a bite.

"Open-ended rejections, still acting a little flirty…huh," Wally replied, shaking his head. "I wish I knew that before."

They were each sitting around the table with a freshly emptied tub of Neapolitan ice-cream between them. In Wally and Barry's bowls, the melted ice-cream from their repeated scoops had become a small pool in the bottom, as opposed to Rudolph's bowl which only had a few droplets.

"Well, why didn't you ask me before?" Rudolph asked with a smirk, sliding another spoonful into his mouth.

"Because, well, you know…" Wally started grumbling non-committedly.

"I'm sorry, I didn't catch that," Rudolph said with a good-natured smile.

"Because you're my Dad and girls are…different nowadays," Wally explained with an awkward grimace on his face.

"Is that right?" Rudolph chuckled. "Well, I'd say we can't change human nature, so it doesn't matter how old fashioned my expertise is."

"Also, don't lie to them," Barry added quickly.

"Yes, lying to the girl is the absolute best way to make sure she's never interested in you. Ever," Rudolph affirmed with a nod.

"Right, right, yeah," Wally started to chuckle nervously.

"Now, Barry? Would you kindly explain why you felt it necessary to throw that tidbit in there?" Rudolph asked with a raised eyebrow.

Barry looked at Wally and gestured with a nod of his head.

"Aw, do I have too?" Wally asked quietly.

"Yes," Rudolph told him.

Wally sighed and started to explain everything. How he'd been harboring a crush on one of his teammates and as part of a gambit to get her attention, he had feigned believing and being interested in magic. He ended by explaining how he had drawn the ire of one of his other teammates.

"And then he said I was a hypocrite and I had to go…cool off," Wally replied, thoroughly embarrassed.

"He sounds like he's great at parties," Rudolf said wryly. "But in this case, it sounds like he was right."

"Oh, come on!" Wally said, throwing his hands in the air. "Seriously?"

"Not about the magic hocus pocus…stuff," Rudolf waved that off with his hand. "Wally, when you go see your team tomorrow, I want to go up to that girl and apologize for lying to her. Then never bother her again. Alright?"

Wally slumped in his chair. "Yes, Dad."

"Good," Rudolf nodded approvingly. "Now about this Pyroclasm guy."

"He's the _worst_ ," Wally snarled.

"Sounds like it," Rudolf nodded in agreement. "But it also sounds like you're going to have to get used to working with him."

"I know, Barry already told me," Wally sighed in defeat. Then he started snidely quoting his uncle. "So, you need to be the better man here, and let it go."

"Your Uncle's right," Rudolf nodded.

"Exactly, see?" Barry said with a smile. "Even your Dad agrees."

"That _sucks_ ," Wally complained.

"Welcome to growing up," Rudolf told him with a smile.

"Besides, all that magic stuff is sort of true," Barry added. "If it wasn't, Aquaman and the Atlanteans wouldn't be able to breathe underwater."

"Aren't they just using extensive gene therapy to let the gill transplants on their necks work?" Wally asked in surprise.

"No, actually," Barry shook his head. "Not enough evidence for gene therapies in the samples Aquaman's provided us. Besides, he knows a lot more about what he's talking about than we do."

Wally loudly groaned in irritation. "The world's supposed to make _sense_."

"It doesn't."

* * *

Wally took a breath and zipped up to his teammate. "M'Gann, can I talk to you for a second?"

"Uh," M'Gann turned from her conversation with Conner and Artemis. "Sure. What's up."

"I, uh…" Wally swallowed and let out a breath. "I need to apologize. To you. For lying about believing and liking magic just to get a date. It wasn't cool, it was dishonest and…wrong. So, I'm sorry."

"It's alright Wally," M'Gann said with a bright smile. "I forgive you."

"Oh," Wally let out a sigh of relief. "Okay, good. I was worried there for a second."

"Just remember that Pyro and I'll give no end of crap if you do it again," Artemis said with a grin.

"How could I forget?" Wally asked with a raised eyebrow.

Over by the zeta tubes, Aqualad, Batman and Robin were standing and conversing.

"If he has taken the Helmet of Fate, then he must have a good reason," Aqualad said, arms folded beneath his serious expression. "I am team leader, and I request that I be present when you speak to him."

"That is unwise," Batman replied. "Kid Flash, Robin and yourself have each voiced objection to his continued presence and I'm afraid what we will speak about will only exacerbate the issue."

"I only said that he's ticking people off," Robin grumbled in annoyance.

"His acerbic manner has caused a feud between him and Kid Flash," Aqualad began diplomatically. "But in light of the incident at the Tower of Fate, they have proven that they can work together in spite of their differences. If they can continue to do that, then I will have no objection to his being on the team."

Batman didn't respond immediately, the gears turning behind his dark cowl, his impassive expression betraying nothing. "Very well. But do not speak unless spoken too until after the business is concluded.

"Thank you," Aqualad said with a nod.

"Recognized, Pyroclasm. B08."

"Batman, we need to talk," Pyro said immediately upon exiting the tube. "In private. Now."

"What's it about?" Batman asked neutrally.

"What happened at the Tower of Fate," Pyroclasm replied. "Specifically, that bit at the end where Klarion spoke to me."

"I had been wanting to speak to you about that myself," Batman replied. "Aqualad has requested to sit in on this discussion as team leader."

Pyro looked at Aqualad for all of a second before answering. "Fine."

The group left the training hall, moving their conversation to one of the conference rooms built into the cave. They sat at the long, brown table inside. Batman at the head, Pyroclasm to his left, Robin to his right with Aqualad sitting beside Robin.

"So, as you probably already know, I came into the cave to get the Helmet of Fate," Pyro said, laying his hands out on the table. "The reason being that upon being confronted by Klarion the Witchboy, he was threatening to skin me alive and turn that skin into a dress. Not a pleasant image."

"Yeah, I can see that," Robin started nodding.

"The only thing that stopped him was when he asked what I did to my soul," Pyro continued. "I told him that I glued a fire elemental to it and he just told me that I was lucky I was cool. I have since realized that he intends to replicate what I did to my soul to other, unwilling people."

Aqualad's skin started to pale.

"Go on," Batman said.

"I figured that this needed to be fixed as soon as possible," Pyroclasm started to wrap up. "Hence why I became Doctor Fate, why I've still got possession of the helmet and why I'll be introducing you to my AI."

"So potentially giving a crazed supervillain an idea is all it took for you to introduce us to your artificial circle of friends?" Robin asked with a quirked eyebrow. "I feel like I should've introduced you to Firefly or something."

"Well, I wasn't going too, but I got overruled," Pyro explained with a sigh. "They were really, really insistent."

"They overruled you," Batman repeated.

"They did," Pyro nodded. "They want actual data, not just whatever I can scavenge on the internet. Plus, I think they want to meet more people than just me and whoever else I end up making."

"I think they'll like us a lot," Robin said confidently. "I don't think you have anything to worry about, we already live with Red Tornado."

"I guess," Pyro grumbled. "Just…whatever."

"What?" Batman asked.

"They've been my only friends for a…long time," Pyro sighed. "I'm really hoping things go…well. You know what I mean?"

"They're friendly?" Batman asked.

"Very," Pyro said nodded. "Just…you know, a little caustic."

"Like you," Robin replied, looking over his sunglasses.

"Yeah, just with the added bonus of being weak to magnets," Pyro pointed out grumpily. "You know, worse than Superman and Kryptonite."

"Because they're hanging out in a computer," Robin nodded. "Makes sense. So, when do we get to meet them?"

"Before we get to that, we need to go back to our original topic," Batman cut in. "The Helmet of Fate. Did you come to an arrangement?"

"Sixteen hours over Saturday and Sunday," Pyro explained. "And any other time I deign to give him over the course of the week, which won't be much. He does Lord of Order things, countering Klarion while I look for another, more suitable host with more time to give him."

"Do you get anything in return?" Batman asked.

"Lessons in Order Magic," Pyro answered. "To keep me from getting to close to 'burn the world down' and remaining fully in 'building, creating and preventing things from getting worse'."

"Was there a concern for that before?" Batman asked impartially.

"No, but you can't have too many safeguards," Pyro replied. "You know what Order Magic has over fire?"

"No, what?" Robin asked.

"Healing," Pyro sounded pretty happy about that. "Well, specifically by restoring the body to its proper functionality. Which is basically healing but with some added perks and stuff."

"That sounds useful," Batman replied. "What are you doing to find a full-time host for Doctor Fate?"

"Well, my plan to just _grow_ him a clone was shot down by Nabu himself," Pyro replied. "So, I don't know. I do not believe we have the resources to field through an internet volunteer list."

"Why can't you grow him a clone?" Batman asked.

"Apparently, he needs a soul to work with," Pyro answered. "So, I was thinking until then, perhaps I can share Nabu. The days I can't take him, I let someone else be Doctor Fate…Aqualad, would you be willing."

"I would be," Aqualad nodded. "But not very much. Being used as a puppet is…not a pleasant experience."

"You're telling me," Pyro replied, shuddering. "Actually, hold that thought. Atlantis is filled with Magic Users, right? Perhaps Aquaman could find a good host among the citizenry below the sea? Get a whole team of people dedicated to being Doctor Fate."

"I will bring up the possibility the next time the League meets together," Batman answered. "In the meantime, you will find that your ability to fill the time-needs of Doctor Fate being expanded – the team is temporarily going to ground following it's very public mission at the Tower of Fate."

"When was this decided?" Aqualad asked with raised eyebrows.

"Yesterday," Batman replied. "There will be a three-week break period. In the meantime, each member will be given one-on-one instruction by a Mentor. Doctor Fate, apparently, will be Pyroclasm's."

"Is Kent Nelson still in the helmet?" Aqualad asked.

"He is," Pyro nodded.

"Why would Kent still be inside the helmet?" Robin asked quizzically.

"He agreed to keep Nabu company in exchange for allowing me to remove the helmet," Aqualad explained.

"Oh, really? Huh," Robin said with a frown.

"You explained as much in your report," Batman pointed out. "Now, Pyroclasm. You will use this time to learn everything you can from both Nabu and Kent Nelson. They are experienced heroes with centuries of experience between the two of them. Order Magic, Tactics and most importantly, how to work with a team. I cannot stress how important that last part is. Do you understand?"

"I understand, I'm not supposed to call out my teammates when they're outright saying they want the new archer to quit the team so they can have the old one, not object to a teammate lying to another teammate to get a date and just allow the people who've been at this longer than I have to get away with murder. Basically," Pyro rattled off with an annoyed sigh. "Got it."

"I will say this exactly once," Batman began with a glare that didn't so much as phase Pyro. "You were completely right to call out Kid Flash for his inexcusable behavior. Your mistake was in your execution. Causing the team to fracture right down the center is something we are trying to avoid and you are causing us to barrel down toward it. If you can bring up your colleague's mistakes and immoral behavior in a diplomatic manner, do so. If it does not get resolved, bring it to Aqualad or one of the League."

"I brought up Kid Flash's behavior to Black Canary and she basically told me she wasn't going to do anything," Pyroclasm pointed out.

"Did you?" Batman asked, no hint of surprise.

"Yeah," Pyro nodded. "Unless that gets resolved, I'm going to rake the offender across the coals, much like I expect my teammates to do so to me if I step out of line."

"Part of the three-week break is for a restructuring in how the League and the Team operate and work together," Batman explained. "I will bring this up to the League itself and we will bear it in mind as we rework everything so that it doesn't happen again."

"That's all I ask," Pyro replied with a sigh.

"Good. Now," Batman began. "You were going to introduce us to your AI?"

"Yeah," Pyro put his elbows on the table and made a tent of his fingers. "I was thinking _just_ you, Batman. At the start. Maybe my team later today if that goes well."

"Don't you trust us?" Robin asked with a raised eyebrow.

"I wear a full-face mask in the depths of Mount Justice," Pyro replied flatly. "So, no. I like you guys, I consider you friends, but I don't trust you."

"Okay then," Robin breathed.

"Pyro," Aqualad began, placing his hands on the table, fingers interlocked. "I understand that your relationship with the team has been…rocky. Littered with offenses, accidental and intentional. But no matter how upset some of us get, you are a valuable part of this team. You're highly intelligent and refuse to back down when you see injustice. That in of itself is commendable and admirable. I understand that you're hesitant, but I hope that you do find it in yourself to trust us eventually."

Pyro remained quiet for a second, the expression in his eyes undiscernible.

"By your leave, Batman," Aqualad said, standing up.

Batman nodded. "Make sure none of the team leave, I'll need to make the announcement that the team is going to ground after I'm done meeting his AI."

"Alright," Robin said, standing up. "We'll probably be out in the training room unless M'Gann made cookies again."

Aqualad opened the door and then closed it behind him and Robin.

The room fell quiet for a moment.

"I almost thought you were going to change your mind," Batman said.

"Maybe I should've," Pyro replied quietly. "Trust is hard."

"I know."

"Does this room have a holoprojector?" Pyro asked.

"Here," Batman flipped a switch underneath the table, causing the ceiling to part and a projector to lower through the gap. It turned on, giving each seat a keyboard and number pad.

Pyro keyed in the number and the phone didn't even have a chance to ring. A square image of an avatar pixelated into being, of a bald woman with circuitry running out of her scalp. "Good Afternoon, Pyroclasm."

"Good afternoon, Adjutant," Michael took his mask off. "Nice to see you. This is Batman."

"Nice to see you as well," Adjutant nodded in greeting. "And Batman. I've been wanting to make your acquaintance since you visited the Winter's on August 2nd. You look healthy."

"Thank you," Batman replied. "You are Michael's first Artificial Intelligence, is that correct?"

"It is," Adjutant replied serenely. "Version 1.0 was completed November 6th, 2005. My current duties are social stimulation, emotional support, internet security and secretarial duties. I maintain Michael's firewall and perform virus scans, as well as sort through his E-mail and search for miscellaneous information on the internet not yet under the purview of one of my three colleagues."

Batman stopped to think for a moment.

"You want to throw in anything else in there?" Michael asked with a deadpan expression. "You failed to mention how you act as the swearing police and censor all of my word documents."

"Just trying to help you stay creative with your words," Adjutant replied with Pyro's signature calm. "There is no reason to vent your anger with simple swearing when there are other, more productive ways to do the same."

Pyro gave an overly exaggerated laugh in response to that." Swearing's efficient."

"But you don't actually want to swear, it just annoys you that you can't help it at times," Adjutant pointed out. "Hence your irritation at being corrected when I censor your word documents or hate mail."

Michael folded his arms and started grumbling.

"If you two are done bickering," Batman started, taking a stack of notecards from his utility belt. "I had some questions prepared for meeting you."

"You just always carried those around with you?" Mike asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Only when I was anticipating speaking with you," Batman answered. "First question, you mentioned that there were more than one of you?"

"There are three besides me," Adjutant replied. "None of them are authorized to participate in this call."

"What are their functions?" Batman asked.

"Twenty words or less, please," Mike piped up with a finger in the air.

"Jaina handles magical research, Doc handles Michael's medical needs and augmentations and Vulcan is in charge of technological theory crafting," Adjutant summed up.

"Thank you," Mike said.

"Of course."

"Do any of you have any interests beyond those Michael has programmed in you?" Batman moved on to the next card.

"I do," Adjutant answered. "I primarily post to science and research forums with information to assist in scientific progress. Jaina writes romantic literature, Doc runs a medical advice column and Vulcan spends a lot of his time admiring pictures of automobiles and airplanes."

Batman stopped again for just a second. "Is Jaina a published author?"

"No," Adjutant shook her head. "She believes her work is too stiff to be properly romantic as a result of her being programmed. It is beyond my scope, so I cannot comment on its quality."

"She won't let me read them, either," Mike added with the shake of his head.

"What ethics has Michael programmed into you?" Batman asked, moving onto the next card.

"He used the Ten Commandments, located in Exodus chapter 20 of the King James Version of the Bible as the basis," Adjutant replied. "With exceptions such as self-defense or preventing crime."

"Hm, respectable," Batman muttered, placing the cards down. "Michael here mentioned that you overruled him and wanted to be introduced to the Justice League. Why?"

"My colleagues and I all share the common goal of helping Michael surviving the super-powered chaos that engulfs the world from time to time," Adjutant began, taking a moment to let that sink in before continuing. "In that goal, we have exhausted all credible information and resources available on the internet that can be legally obtained. Because we have been programmed to follow the law in as much as we are able, and in light with Michael's encounter with Klarion the Witchboy, it became obvious that the most sensible choice available to us would be to contact the Justice League. With Michael's permission, we would like to offer our services in exchange for all the data on technology and magic that we can get."

"You would still be there for me if I need it, right?" Mike asked nervously.

"Of course. You come first," Adjutant replied reassuringly. "Always."

"Thank you," Michael let out a sigh of relief. "That's a relief. I'm alright with the trade, then."

"It's an intriguing offer," Batman began. "But many on the Justice League, including Red Tornado, are leery about letting an AI whose only contact with humanity is through the internet because of how much of a mixed bag it is. If you wished to work with the Justice League, you would need to get bodies."

"So, we can interact with the world the same way a human would and put to lie any unrest only being a 'computer' causes, I understand," Adjutant replied. "Units Doc and Vulcan have already been collaborating on the possibility."

"They have?" Mike asked in surprise.

"We were going to tell you about it when the various theories they've postulated coalesced into something actually feasible," Adjutant replied. "So, we could get your permission and the resources that you provide."

"Well, that's interesting," Mike replied. "Okay, say we actually get you guys the biosynthetic bodies that Doc and Vulcan are apparently working on, what happens then?"

"They would be put on probation as an R&D arm of the Justice League," Batman said, picking up the cards. "That's what I would have them do, at least, if this scenario plays out like you say it would."

"That makes sense," Mike said.

"Batman, you told Michael that he would be granted access to the Kobra-Venom formula for research purposes on the condition that he not inject himself without your permission, as well as meeting his doctor," Adjutant began. "Does that offer still stand?"

"It does," Batman nodded. "I would just need to meet Unit 'Doc' to consider that condition fulfilled."

"That might be a while," Mike replied with raised eyebrows.

"Michael," Adjutant began.

"Don't 'Michael' me, Doc's neurotic," Mike retorted with a frown. "By design, but still."

"The term neurotic is no long in scientific use," Adjutant pointed out.

"But the term still applies here, _anyway_ ," Mike replied with a glare.

"Michael, do you argue with everyone?" Batman asked neutrally.

"Yes."

"Why?"

"Because arguing is fun," Michael shrugged.

"Why are you trying to argue against getting quick access to a powerup?" Adjutant asked curiously.

"Because I'm already trusting one of my darling AI's to be introduced to the rest of the world," Michael started hotly. "Two of you in one day is just too much. You guys are _way_ more important to me than a random super-serum that will likely end up out-classed some time in the next year by some supervillain."

"And you're too important to us to let emotional reasoning get in the way of something that will likely be the difference between life or death in the future," Adjutant explained sadly. "Try to think of this objectively."

"If I lose you, you aren't easily replaced," Mike pointed out with a raised eyebrow. "Neither your hardware or your software."

"Let's handle this one step at a time," Batman interjected. "Michael, as of this moment, I believe your tutelage under Doctor Fate will be sufficient. In three weeks, when the team reconvenes, we can talk about this again and see how you feel about introducing Doc to us then. At that time, do you think you can be willing to let the Team meet Adjutant?"

"Is she in danger of getting magnet'd?" Mike asked with a raised eyebrow.

"I do not believe that will ever be necessary," Batman responded diplomatically.

Mike didn't answer immediately. "I'll think about it."

"In the meantime, I would like to keep in touch with you and Adjutant," Batman replied, pulling a business card out of his belt. "I believe, Adjutant, that you have a lot to contribute and the League would also be interested in meeting you."

"Would I be there when she is introduced to the League?" Mike asked with a frown.

"I do not believe you need to be there," Adjutant replied serenely.

"But you haven't really interacted with normal humans before," Mike protested. "And-"

"Michael, you have programmed me to be, first and foremost an ethical and moral person," Adjutant interjected, serenely but with purpose. "I have never given you reason to doubt my morals or my ethics. Please allow me to be a person."

Mike's eyes went wide as he instantly deflated. "Alright. Fine."

"I'll still be there for you," Adjutant replied. "I will. It's my highest priority to make sure you're safe and happy…and have an actual social life with me in it."

"You promise?" Mike asked.

"I do."

* * *

"And that is why the Team is going to ground," Batman finished.

"Aw, man!" Wally cried in disappointment.

The Cave had grown a little crowded since Pyro, mask replaced, returned to the training room with Batman. Martian Manhunter, the Flash, Aquaman, Green Arrow, Captain Marvel all arrived just before Batman had begun speaking and took up positions behind Batman.

"In three weeks, the Team will reconvene at Mount Justice with new Operational Procedures and a stable chain of command," Batman stated. "Superboy, Captain Marvel will be your mentor for this One-on-One time."

"But," Conner started, looking alarmed. "But what about…you know?"

"Superman does not feel up to the task," Batman replied. "Captain Marvel is a good hero who has a lot of experience and will be able to help you learn what it means to be a hero."

Conner just growled in frustration.

"Cheer up, man!" Captain Marvel said, floating forward. "I'm sure we'll have plenty of awesome adventures together."

Conner just growled again. "Fine."

"So, whose gonna be giving Pyroclasm this 'one-on-one' time?" Wally asked with a smirk.

"Doctor Fate is more than adequate for the task," Batman replied.

"You couldn't find anyone on the League to do it, huh?" Wally asked, smirk growing larger.

"Wally, that's enough," The Flash barked.

"Sorry, Flash," Wally rubbed the back of his head.

"And?" Flash asked.

Wally froze, then swallowed and struggled to force out his next sentence. "S-sorry, Pyro."

"For what?" Pyro asked with a harder edge than usual. "You're probably right, no point in sugar coating it."

"The main concern for many of the Leaguer's was time," Batman explained placatingly. "Most simply do not have enough hours in the day to take on a dedicated student. Captain Atom, in particular, expressed interest but couldn't work his schedule."

"Makes sense," Pyro nodded.

"Due to the increased security risks, the Cave will be shut down until the team reconvenes. Conner and Ms. Martian will both be moved to other locations in the meantime," Batman stated. "Martian Manhunter and Captain Marvel will escort the two of you to your separate facilities. That is all."

"We don't have to go yet, do we?" Robin asked with a raised eyebrow.

"You have until nine o'clock this evening," Batman replied. "This is your last night together for a while, I suggest making the most of it by watching a movie or playing some games."

* * *

"Can I ask you something?"

Pyro looked up from the book he was reading in the living room at Conner, who sat beside him at the bar. Robin, Kid Flash, Aqualad and Artemis were all playing some futuristic shoot on four-player split-screen.

"Sure, go ahead," Pyro replied, putting the book down.

"Why did you kill Zsasz?" Conner asked, causing Pyro to freeze.

 _How did he-?_ Pyro thought to himself, before remembering that he and Black Canary had both spent ten minutes talking about all the details of that encounter right after he made a fuss about not using his real name. _I'm such an idiot._

Conner, not using x-ray vision, didn't see Pyro's horrified expression, simply waited for the response.

"Because," Pyro started. "He had a knife to a girls throat. If he had killed her because I didn't do anything, I would've hated myself for the rest of my life." _And a little beyond that too._

"Was there anything else you could've done?" Conner asked with a frown.

"Not really," Pyro shrugged. "I don't have super speed or strength. I have fire powers. So, I did the only thing I could do; incineration. I don't think he felt anything before…you know."

Conner just hummed and nodded.

"Why do you ask?" Pyro asked.

"I wanted to see if you'd duck the question," Conner said, looking across the counter at M'Gann, who was mixing cookie batter. "You didn't, so…can I ask another?"

"Sure," Pyro shrugged.

Conner didn't answer right away, but when he did, the words came out quickly. "Why doesn't Superman want anything to do with me?"

"Oh," Pyro slowly let out that. "So, correct me if I'm wrong, but you're a clone of Superman. One he didn't know about until the Fifth of July and built to replace him?"

"Yeah," Conner replied.

"Well, I don't know for sure, but I've got a few theories," Pyro started, brushing his shoulder. "None of which are your fault, by the way. Just want to make that clear."

"Just tell me," Conner said, exasperatedly.

"First off, he probably feels violated. Extremely so," Pyro said, holding a finger off to count. "Someone took a bit of his DNA and grew another him for the sole purpose of replacing him. That's really, really freaky."

Conner growled. "Okay."

"Secondly, he knows that how he feels would…poison? Is that the right word, poison?" Pyro asked. "We'll go with that one. His emotions would poison his interactions with you, subjecting you to things he knows you don't deserve and shouldn't have to deal with. He has no idea what to do, so he's doing nothing until he figures it out. Make sense?"

Conner blinked. "I guess."

"Third and final," Pyro said, raising his third finger. "Superman doesn't have a secret identity, that's just common knowledge. I mean, why would he be crazy enough to have an identity when he doesn't have a mask? But say for a second that sometimes he takes on a human identity. You know, so he can live a normal life? Passes himself off as just a Superman lookalike. Maybe he has friends in this human identity, a family? The guys who made you have his DNA and can hook that up to a gene scanner."

"Okay," Conner said, dragging the word out.

"Work with me here. If the guys want to track where he is and that scan happens when he's with these human friends or with his human family and…this human theoretical human identity is now exposed, and so it all his friends, coworkers and loved ones," Pyro summed up. "It's just a theory, but one if true…would mean that the danger of getting found out at any second of the day is all he sees when he sees you. Which would explain why he'd really like to not see you."

Conner didn't say anything.

"None of this is your fault, of course, but that's just the circumstances of the thing," Pyro replied with a shrug. "Does that make sense?"

Conner let out a breath. "Yeah. It makes sense. Thanks for…being honest."

"What are friends for?"

* * *

 _Author's Note: Well, that's a lot that just happened. All over a single day, too. I don't have much to say here beyond that I hope you guys like what happened and that, at least, Kid Flash got an inkling that Magic is Real from The Flash, though it wasn't much of a conversation given all that had happened that night._

 _Shout out goes out too_ Cole Deucalion _for being my newest Patron. Thank you for your support! Also, shout out goes out to Super Patrons_ Melden V, Anders Kronquist, Ray Tony Song, makopaulo, Volkogluk, Aaron Bjornson, iolande, Martin Auguado, Julio, Jiopaba, Hackerham, Tim Collins-Squire, Maben00, Sultan Saltlick, PostLifeSyndrome, DarthBane, Ventari _and_ PbookR. _Thank you all for your support, you're helping me out a lot in making these stories possible._

 _Until the next time!_

 _~Fulcon_


	16. Chapter 16: Scattered Matches

_The following is a fanbased work of fiction. Young Justice is property of DC Comics, Warner Brothers and Greg Weisman – please support the official release._

* * *

"Alright, so!" Captain Marvel said with a cheerful grin, gesturing to the farm that the two had just teleported too with a large smile on his face. All around them were fields, as far as Superboy could see. Corn fields, wheat fields, every kind of plant that could be grown on a farm was grown here, as far as he could tell. "This is the Kent farm. You'll be staying here until we get that whole Cave situation sorted out."

"Okay," Conner answered, walking with his new 'mentor' to the front door. "Why here?"

"They volunteered," Captain Marvel replied. "Superman mentioned you. I was going to have you stay with me and my Uncle Dudley, but they jumped at the chance."

"Wait, really?" Conner blinked with a small frown growing on his mouth. "Why?"

"Well," Captain Marvel began, knocking on the front door. It opened, revealing a kindly old couple of farmers, both with silver hair and glasses. "Hey, Mr. and Mrs. Kent!"

"Billy!" Mrs. Kent greeted with a huge smile. "It's good to see you! And this…oh my…"

She leaned in closer to get a closer look at Conner, and he leaned back, away from her gaze with an uncomfortable expression on his face.

"You really are his spitting image, aren't you," Mrs. Kent hummed. "Come in, come in. I'm Martha Kent, very nice to meet you, and this is my husband Jonathan."

"Nice to meet you, sport," Mr. Kent said, extending his hand to shake. Conner took it and noticed that he had a very strong grip…for a normal human. "Your room's upstairs, second door on the left, you can go ahead and take your suitcase on up."

"Thanks," Conner muttered, mostly to himself, hefting his briefcase up with one hand.

"Be sure to come right back down," Mr. Kent said with a friendly smile. "We've got dinner ready just in time for you."

"Okay," Conner called back, heading up the old, creaky wooden stairs.

The second door on the right was clearly someone else's room beforehand. There were several flags for the Smallville High Crows and Metropolis Sharks nailed to the walls, model space shuttles built and placed on the desk. Above the desk was a corkboard that had newspaper clippings. Lots and lots and lots of newspaper clippings. Almost half the stories were about someone new with a super power, but the rest were about anything. Fish, soccer, climate change, it didn't matter what the subject was. On closer inspection, certain passages and phrases were outlined or highlighted in red with notes like 'good word usage' or 'misspelled catastrophic'.

For a brief moment, he wondered who the room had belonged too, but then decided it didn't matter right then, shrugging and hefting his suitcase onto the bed with rocket-patterned sheets. With that taken care of, he turned around and closed the door behind him.

"So, I'm actually kind of excited. Hopefully Freddy and Mary like him," Captain Marvel said, still smiling.

"I'm sure you'll do great, Billy," Mrs. Kent said kindly.

"It is kind of funny, though," Mr. Kent said with a smile that was only growing. "Considering, well, you know."

"Yup," Captain Marvel nodded.

Conner arrived at the base of the stairs without saying anything, simply watching his new…guardians.

"Anyway, Dinner's ready. You boys are probably famished," Mrs. Kent said, walking further into the house and beckoning for them to follow. "Go ahead and wash your hands in the sink, there's soap on the counter."

The kitchen was just like everything else in the house, charmingly rustic, old as can be and wood. As Conner washed his hands in the sink, he used his x-ray vision to peer through the walls and saw the very extensive, very powerful defense network made up of turrets, electrical fields and _shaped explosive charges_ that lined the charmingly deceptive walls of the farm.

Clearly, someone in the Justice League wanted them as safe as humanly possible.

They sat at the table, said grace and dug in. Freshly grilled steak, hand-made rolls, salads, everything was _fresh_ and prepared by an expert. He was a little ashamed to admit it, but Mrs. Kent was simply a better cook than M'Gann. M'Gann was just _learning_ , though, to be fair.

"So, you're going to be doing some hero work in Fawcett city?" Mr. Kent asked.

"I guess."

"Good, good," Mr. Kent nodded. "I hope you do well."

"Thanks."

"You're a man of few words, huh?" Mr. Kent asked, still keeping that friendly smile on his face.

"Is that a problem?" Conner asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Oh, no. No," Mr. Kent shook his head. "It's just interesting. Clark was always a chatter-box growing up, at least with his friends."

"Clark?" Conner asked with a raised eyebrow.

"I guess we haven't gotten to that bridge yet, huh?" Mr. Kent nodded as Conner's expression only got more and more confused. "Well, we can talk about it later."

"So, Billy, did you catch that _Strange Files_ episode last night?" Mrs. Kent asked, strategically cutting off Conner before he could ask his next question.

"That's right, the new episode came out," Captain Marvel said with a mix of surprise and disappointment. "What was this one about?"

"Someone cloned Jerry," Mr. Kent explained. "I won't spoil to much, but mind control was involved."

"Clones," Captain Marvel repeated with a raised eyebrow. "That's…oddly appropriate."

"How was it mind control?" Conner asked before the awkward silence could even think about setting in, his curiosity piqued.

"It was trigger words," Mr. Kent explained. "As in, triggers were planted in their brains to make them susceptible to suggestion when a word was spoken."

Captain Marvel's chewing slowed down as he adopted a pensive expression on his face. "Hm."

"Hey, if you want to get into the series, we've got the whole thing up to the current season on DvD," Mr. Kent offered happily. "We can spend the weekend binging it. I've been meaning to re-watch it anyway before harvest rolls around."

Conner blinked. "…sure?"

"Wonderful! Maybe we can get Clark down here too," Mrs. Kent said, matching her husbands grin with one of her own. "He loves that show."

"I don't know if that's a good idea, Martha," Mr. Kent said. "We can wait a few weeks before we talk about getting Clark over here."

"You alright, Conner?" Captain Marvel asked.

"Yeah, uh…" Conner said, a thought coming back to him. He pointed at Mr. and Mrs. Kent. "You two know Superman?"

"We do," Mr. Kent nodded.

"How?" Conner asked.

Mr. and Mrs. Kent looked at each other for a moment, then turned to Conner, speaking in stereo. "We're Superman's adoptive parents."

As Conner sat there in shock, Captain Marvel brought a fist up to his head and made an explosive gesture with an accompanying sound effect.

* * *

"So, are the sewers Clayface's home or just the route he takes to get to his hideout?" Robin asked as Batman lifted the manhole cover. Below was a ten-foot drop to a small stream of filth that he could smell from up here.

"We'll find out," Batman responded as they both jumped down.

"Unless his nose doesn't work anymore, guarantee it's just a road," Robin said, grunting as he hit the concrete harder than he had meant too.

Batman pressed a button on his left temple and started looking. Robin did the same, pressing the button on his mask and his whole field of view shifted, the world adopting a purple hue as his mask enabled Robin to see ultraviolet light.

On the wall was a smeared stain of clay, highlighted in sharp and bright orange, helpfully identified by his mask's HUD. Down the massive pipe was another smear, looking like it had been dragged across the floor.

"This feels like a trap," Robin said.

"It probably is," Batman agreed. "There's likely some smaller pipes that follow the same route, when we find them, we'll take them."

Robin nodded in response and the two started to follow the convenient breadcrumb trail. Eventually, Batman's predictions came true, with the trail continuing down the large pipe, but a smaller pipe up above and to the left was also built. Robin pulled up the maps he downloaded onto his wrist computer, the blue holographic display glowing like a beacon in the darkness of the sewers. "That pipe follows the big one for a while."

Robin reached for his grapple, only to be stopped by a hand on his shoulder.

"Robin, if you were with the Team right now, what would you do?" Batman asked.

"Uh, I'd just grapple to the pipe and take the stealthy approach," Robin answered with a confused expression.

"Would you communicate that you were moving in so the rest of the team could cover you if need be?" Batman asked.

Robin raised a finger to argue. "I need to do that?"

Batman held in a sigh of exasperation. "Yes. Your teammates, save Artemis, are unfamiliar with our methodology of crime fighting and we're significantly more vulnerable than they are. Effective communication of your plans is the only way you're going to survive fighting alongside the team."

"Communicate how?" Robin asked, his eyes narrowing.

"If you're leaving the group, telling the group that you're leaving and where you're going," Batman explained with a raised eyebrow. "I know we've been working together enough to make telling each other the most basic things unnecessary but it is necessary in the team's mission environment."

"Really?"

"Really."

Robin sighed. "Disappearing is _fun_ , though."

"There is a time and a place for a good exit," Batman chided. "On a mission is not that time. Do you understand?"

"Yes," Robin rubbed the back of his head.

"Good," Batman said, turning to look at the pipe up above. "That pipe is too small for me. I will follow the main trail and you…"

"Got it," Robin said, shooting his grapple up to the pipe.

As he pulled himself up to the pipe, he heard someone clearing their throat. Robin turned around and saw Batman looking up at him, not having moved. "Where are you going?"

Robin was speechless for a second while Batman waited patiently for the answer to his question. "I'm using this pipe to follow the trail from another angle so that if you get spotted, I can attack from an angle."

"That is a good plan," Batman nodded. "Let's get going."

Robin crawled into the pipe, shaking his head. The smell was starting to get to him, so he dug in his utility belt for his breath-mask and placed it over his mouth. With the smell taken care of, he began crawling forward with his elbows.

 _I wonder what brought this on_ , Robin thought to himself in annoyance. _Probably Pyro said something. He always finds something to complain about. Usually it's funny, but he's never targeted_ me _before…_

 _But seriously, why would he start harping on it now?_ Robin thought to himself, still crawling forward. _He's never complained about that before…then again, was he even on the team when I did that? No? No, he wasn't. Right, he's kind of new. So, what, did he read our mission reports and just decide to complain about it?_

Robin continued climbing through the pipe. "How's the trail?"

"Still going," Batman replied.

"So, can I ask a question?" Robin asked, grunting as he pushed past a random clump of sewage that had gotten on something.

"Yes," Batman replied.

"What, brought the whole 'communication' lecture on?" Robin asked with a frown.

"Aqualad mentioned it in the last evaluation," Batman answered flatly. "Said you had a tendency to charge into situations without informing the team, which is unacceptable."

"Oh," Robin said in surprise.

"You assumed it was Pyroclasm?"

"Yeah."

"Hm."

The pipe opened up and Robin looked down to see Batman looking up at him.

"How's the trail?" Robin asked, dropping down.

"It keeps going down that pipe," Batman answered, pointing forward.

"I haven't reached the end yet," Batman said at the same time over his intercom.

"Found him," Robin said, throwing an exploding batarang at the Imposter, who rapidly distorted and grew into a large, clay like golem as Robin grappled to the ceiling.

"Use your taser," Batman ordered, clearly sprinting.

"Got it," Robin said, drawing the military-grade taser from his utility belt and firing. The cords sunk into Clayface's body and electricity visibly cackled down the wire. Clayface screamed and howled and dissolved into an inert, smoking puddle.

Batman arrived shortly after, looking down at the villain Robin had knocked out. "Good work."

"Thanks," Robin said, holstering the taser. "I'm a little disappointed though. All the effort to find him and he went down to a taser? Aqualad could've brought him down in a snap."

"That," Batman began. "Is why it's sometimes good to work with a team."

* * *

"Connection with Watchtower established," Adjutant was certain that she wasn't programmed to feel nervous. Serenity, logic and positivity were her defining positivity traits, built into her system to assist her maker in staying sane and lifting him out of potential suicide. "Good evening, Justice League."

Of course, with her processors dedicated to all of the many outcomes to this meeting, and then to contingencies in case this meeting went poorly, she couldn't say that she didn't have the capacity to feel nervous anyway.

"Good evening, Adjutant," Batman responded.

She was also keenly aware that the neo-cyberpunk aesthetic of her avatar clashed horrifically with the tights-clad Superheroes surrounding her projection. "Batman. It's good to see you again."

"Likewise," Batman nodded. "Now, we have called to review your application to work for the Justice League in exchange for data on advanced technologies and mystical lore."

"Yes," Adjutant replied with a nod. "I mostly am here as a spokeswoman for Jaina, Doc and Vulcan, who would be providing the majority of the work behind this research agreement."

"What would you be doing in this agreement?" John Stewart asked with a raised eyebrow.

"I am merely a secretary," Adjutant replied. "Beyond collecting miscellaneous data and helping my colleagues catalog it, I would not be much help. It is beyond my scope. I am also the senior artificial intelligence and second in command to Pyroclasm; I can personally vouch for their character as I was directly involved with programming each of them."

"I don't know if we can trust this kind of information with people we haven't met," The Flash cautiously objected with a frown.

"I believe it would be fairly similar to hiring a small firm to perform a task instead of hiring individual employees," Adjutant offered, thankful that her avatar couldn't betray the fact that numerous negative outcomes suddenly had their odds of occurrence jump up.

"That is a good point," Batman added. "It's a common tactic for large corporations who don't have enough room or the capability to expand to hire more specialized firms for a short time."

"How would a large corporation not be able to expand?" Captain Marvel asked with a raised eyebrow.

"The most common case for a megacorporation is when a competitor has bought a circuit of the courts and is attempting to avoid dissolution under the guise of a legal case, such as copywrite infringement or anti-trust laws," Batman answered. "There's also the classic bankruptcy or sudden economic downturn."

Captain Marvel nodded in understanding.

"You said you were a secretary," Diana began with a raised eyebrow. "What exactly is it that you do?"

"I manage Pyroclasm's cyber security, keep his schedule and manage his e-mails and social media," Adjutant answered dutifully. "I also provide social stimulation, emotional support and intelligent discourse."

"Intelligent discourse?" Superman asked with a raised eyebrow.

"We…bicker," Adjutant clarified. "All the time. It helps Pyroclasm calm down by giving him a way to vent his frustration."

"Returning to the topic at hand," Batman suggested. "I do not believe anyone here is ready to trust you with our own technological secrets, villain tech is another matter."

"Of course," Adjutant replied. "What technology did you have in mind?"

"Of myself, I can grant you limited access to Mr. Freeze's cryo-technology," Batman offered without expression.

One of the few technologies that would be almost useless to Pyro. Adjutant didn't sigh in exasperation, but she wanted too. "What would the goal be in researching that technology?"

"Greater protection from ice-based villains," Batman answered.

That would be useful. Pyro's newly discovered weakness to ice magic needed to be remedied, and soon; before he had an unfortunate run-in with an Ice Villain. "That is an intriguing offer. But before we begin signing paperwork, I want to make sure that the rest of the Justice League has no concerns in working with an AI like myself."

"Does anyone have an objection?" Superman asked the table.

"Adjutant, let me be straight with you," Captain Atom began with a no-nonsense expression. "I don't think there's any risk of Pyro going villain and I completely get that you're here to bargain for things to help him get stronger. But I wouldn't expect you to get anything too valuable, most of the villain tech we find is protected behind miles of red tape as state protected secrets. You wouldn't be able to share it with him."

She was afraid of that. "I'm afraid that is the price of our assistance; that we are allowed to keep data on the technology that we reverse engineer. My first and only priority is ensuring that Pyroclasm is healthy, happy and strong enough to survive whatever life throws at him."

"No, I get that," Captain Atom continued. "We all get that. But I'm just being honest with you."

"I am assuming you have a list of technology that we _can_ share and use as we please?" Adjutant asked neutrally.

"There is a list," Batman nodded. "But we would need paperwork to be signed first and you wouldn't get access to the full list until you've passed a probationary period."

"How long would the probationary period last?" Adjutant asked, maintaining her neutral stance.

"Three research projects," Batman replied. "Upon satisfactory completion, your team will be granted full access to the technologies that are solely in Justice League's custody, save super serums or other genetic tampering."

"What's the condition for Serums?" Adjutant asked.

"We need to meet Doc," Batman replied.

"It's mostly to make sure he has the right ethical restrictions," Black Canary added. "We've all seen our fair share of mad scientists make monsters out of good men thanks to unforeseen consequences; we'd hate for that to happen to Pyro."

"I will let Pyro know," Adjutant replied emphatically. "Before I agree to these projects, I need to make sure that this will be worth our time. What technology is on there that can actually be useful to Pyroclasm?"

Batman didn't answer immediately.

"Uh…we have Doctor Light's suit in storage here in the Watchtower, right?" The Flash asked his fellow leaguers.

Vulcan sent a text message. I want that _._

Obviously, he did, he wanted to make progress on replicating the Power Ring and that would be a very important first step.

"Don't we have that amulet Brother Blood was using for that one ritual here too?" Captain Marvel asked. "The necromantic one?"

We need to prepare for Necromancer's causing trouble, that message was from Jaina.

"Having some additional insight into what he was trying to do would be greatly appreciated," Zatara chimed in from his seat.

"The list has twenty-six items on it in total," Batman explained. "If you want it, you'll need to sign on."

"Please present the contract for review," Adjutant requested.

A few keystrokes from Batman and she had it in front of her, the image of a blue-screen projecting itself across her avatar's face showing that she was reading it.

"Really quick, does anyone else have any objections?" Superman asked. "Speaking personally, my reservations are gone."

"I see nothing wrong with the arrangement as has been discussed," Diana replied.

They continued around the table, the other Leaguer's offering a no, until they came to Red Tornado.

"My only concern was that constant exposure to the internet would have a deleterious effect on your programming, Adjutant," Red Tornado stated. "I was suggesting that getting you and your team bodies to help purge the ill effects. But from my observations, this has not been the case. Consider my objections withdrawn."

The contract was simple. Three research projects with set milestones for completion. Said milestones can be partially determined by the AI themselves to ensure that the projects were, at least, fair. Also, inside was an NDA and that she would be held responsible for anything her cohorts did with the information, including Pyroclasm.

"Thank you, Red Tornado," Adjutant replied. "Before I sign this contract, I do want to make a request. We are housed in servers that are magically cooled and magically expanded to house our runtimes. In order to expedite the completion of these three research projects, we would need greater server space."

"Would you object to taking some of the servers installed in the Cave?" Red Tornado asked. "We aren't using them all, even while the team was using it as a meeting place. You can partition space for each of you there."

"I would not object to it at all," Adjutant replied, making a note to prepare contingencies in case the League either decides to erase them or they get mind-controlled and _then_ decide to erase them. Or in case some other disaster strikes. "Allow me to send a message to Pyroclasm to ask him his opinion."

"Go ahead," Batman nodded.

Adjutant plinked out from the Watchtower's holoprojector and back into her monitor in Michael's room, leaving only the frame of her avatar with it's background.

"Well?" Doc asked, his gloved hands rubbing together nervously.

"They want to offer us increased server space in Mount Justice," Adjutant reported. "Here is the contract I was offered."

Michael, who was holding the Helmet of Fate underneath his arm, leaned forward and read the contract over. Once, twice, then a third time. Then he sighed. "Are you sure you guys can handle this?"

"Of course," Adjutant replied, sounding as serene as she could. Her maker was doubting her ability, and that didn't happen often. It was just a symptom of his own nerves, according to Doc but it still didn't sit right with her.

"Okay. Alright, go ahead and sign it," Michael gave his permission, watching as her signature appeared on the document instantly. "Just be careful, okay?"

"We will, Michael," Adjutant said. "We promise."

"So, when am I meeting the League?" Doc asked with a glimmer of hope shining in his glasses.

Michael didn't answer immediately, waiting a moment. "Probably at the end of our three-week break. I don't know, ask me then."

"I'll do that," Doc said. "Oh, I'm excited! So much new, raw data. New super serums, new-"

"Look, I got to get this helmet back on soon," Mike cut in. "So, wrap it up if you can and then start making plans. I don't want you guys stuck in the American legal system because of a technicality."

After what happened with Red Tornado and his daughter, it was a clear and legitimate concern. But as long as they kept their end of the bargain, it wouldn't end in fire and brimstone. "Of course."

Adjutant left her home monitor and returned to the Watchtower. "We accept your terms."

"We'll transmit the cryo-tech details and project parameters to you now," Batman said, typing on his keyboard in front of him. "We'll have your server's constructed in Mount Justice next week and send you a note. Bear in mind that these servers will be isolated from the rest of the Justice League network for the majority of the time."

"I understand," Adjutant nodded. "It was a pleasure meeting you all. I hope this is the start of a long and beneficial relationship on all sides. Good night, everyone."

* * *

"Back," Michael said as he appeared in the dark mindscape of the Helmet of Fate. "Sorry, it was a bit longer than I thought."

"It is well," Nabu said. "We did not agree on a specific time for you to put the helmet back on other than 'before 11pm'. We still have a few hours."

"That's right," Kent nodded. "So, Michael, as I was saying, the main medium for your magic is your flames."

"Which means that any magic I channel is mostly going to be a modification of those flames," Michael nodded. "This is a good thing, and a bad thing. Good, because I think it'll clear up the dead tissue my healing factor leaves behind."

"And bad because…?"

"I don't know, I was kind of hoping to be able to turn directly into a flame elemental," Mike said with a shrug. "I could see being made of living plasma, or even just smoke, would have a ton of benefits."

"Well, shapeshifting comes from The Red, which did eventually come from The Burn," Kent tossed the idea around in his head. "So, you might get shape-shifting like that. Eventually."

"Wait, really?" Mike asked in surprise. "Huh. I figured shape-shifting was more of a chaos thing."

"Chaos and Order are really two sides of the same coin," Kent replied with a shrug. "Get too much order, the rules start conflicting and then you have chaos. Get all chaos all the time with no order, suddenly you have Order and that Order is Chaos."

"So, they have a weird way of balancing themselves out," Mike pointed out.

"It's what happens when two complimentary sides play chess with the universe," Kent said. "Now, as I was saying, your flames. You raised the point that your healing factor would be improved, but let's add onto that. Can you make a heatless flame?"

"Can I? Yes," Mike nodded. "It's a bit hard to do and I'm not sure what the purpose of it would be beyond trickery, but I can do it."

"Well, you infuse it with Order magic and it's purifying property is amplified," Kent began. "You could cure disease and poison on demand, no ingesting that swill required."

"…that's a good point," Mike nodded. "Wait, but wouldn't I need to ingest the potion to have magic to convert to order magic?"

"No, no. Sure, all of your magical potential is in your flames, but not only does it feed the flames, it turns those flames into a medium," Kent explained. "I've noticed this as you've been gallivanting around with the helmet on. Think of your flames as an extra hot magic wand."

"But recall, that the flames comes with its own limitations," Nabu pointed out. "The forces of Order will change to accommodate the medium, not override the medium."

"So, what does that mean, for me exactly?" Mike asked, his eyes narrowing.

"Well, your order magic, when you haven't ingested Mana Poison, supplements your flames," Kent explained. "Have you noticed?"

"I don't usually use my powers when I'm not in a super hero setting," Mike answered with a sense of disappointment. "So, no. But I will try that heatless flame idea."

"You can also use it to sustain a flame," Kent suggested. "Or an explosion."

Mike raised his finger to continue, but he fell silent, his eyes going wide.

"You have an idea?" Kent asked with a bemused expression.

"I'm going to pick up rocket jumping again," Mike muttered to himself with a grin. "It didn't seem that effective when I tried it the first time, but maybe…"

"What's rocket jumping?" Kent asked with interest.

"It's a video game technique where you aim a rocket launcher at your feet and jump after firing it, sending you into the air," Mike explained. "Horrifically deadly in real life, but I had come up with a smaller scale version of it. I haven't tried it in a while because I figured I was going to start finding landing to be a problem if I went too high, but if it'd be easier to maintain an explosion…then maybe I can improvise."

"Perhaps maybe then you should start practicing," Kent suggested. "Use explosions fueled by Order, see if you notice a difference."

"Anything else you think I should try?" Mike asked with an eager smile.

"No," Nabu stated. "First focus on becoming accustomed to conducting the forces of Order through your flames. As you continue and we learn more of your strengths and limitations, we will continue from there."

"Makes sense to me," Kent shrugged. "I'd try training sometime tomorrow when you're in the Tower for your break."

"No chance of trying it out tonight, huh?" Mike asked with a raised eyebrow.

"You have an 11 o'clock curfew," Nabu replied. "And I still have much to do tonight. Tomorrow will serve your purposes."

"No, I get it," Mike said with a shrug. "By the way, how much is wearing this helmet so much helping my ability to cast Order magic?"

"Immensely," Nabu answered.

"Figures."

"Now, I had something else to discuss, regarding your team," Kent began, clearing his throat.

"I'm not going to stop being acerbic," Mike said preemptively. "It's the only way I stay sane."

"There's an argument to be had for better coping mechanisms," Kent rebuked with a raised eyebrow. "But now's not the time for that. No, I was going to say that it'll be much easier for you and them if you were more judicious about the fights you picked."

"Such as?"

"This one," Kent said, gesturing to a memory that he had pulled up.

It was the first time he had been reading a mission report, catching up with the team's exploits. Artemis had asked if the whole scenario involving Mr. Twister had happened, where they thought it was Red Tornado.

"It was conceited."

Those were his exact words.

"Now Mike," Kent began. "This is the first episode of many where you pick on something that didn't need to be picked on. They know it was dumb, they know it was a mistake, you didn't need to dig in and open that old wound."

"I apologized," Mike protested.

"You did," Kent nodded. "But issuing an apology is not getting yourself a pass to do it over and over again. You need to actually start _changing_ and only being critical of things that really need you to be critical of."

"But it was so _dumb_ ," Mike protested, gesturing at the scene below.

"It was dumb," Kent agreed with a frown. "But that's not the point. The point is that picking on a mistake they've already learned from is unnecessary and makes associating with you a chore and as I recall, you want to be around the team. You _need_ them. Right?"

"Right," Mike grumbled.

"So, take this advice from an old man," Kent put his hand on Mike's shoulder. "Save your energy for things that actually matter and don't set every tiny little thing that offends you on fire."

* * *

 _Author's Note: Hey, I'm back! Yaaaaay!_

 _So, for those of you not in the know, I've been on hiatus from this story until today, the 17_ _th_ _. I hope you guys liked this chapter and that it was worth the wait. Got Conner to actually have a pair of guardians to look out for him and Robin's getting a nasty habit of his grilled out of him. My explanation for the League and Adjutant reaching an agreement stems from the fact that Adjutant actually seems very human and thus is allaying the fears the various leaguers have._

 _Anyway, I don't recall if I've done this, but shout out to Cole Deucalion and Micheal N., the newest members of our circle of patrons. Your support is inspiring and I thank you so much. I wasn't sure if you guys got your shout-out, so here it is._

 _Shout out also goes out too_ Melden V, Anders Kronquist, Ray Tony Song, makopaulo, Volkogluk, Aaron Bjornson, iolande, Martin Auguado, Julio, Jiopaba, Hackerham, Tim Collins-Squire, Maben00, Sultan Saltlick, PostLifeSyndrome, DarthBane, Ventari _and_ PbookR. _Thank you all so much._

 _For those of you who are interested, I've been working on an original story in between the last update and now. It's on RoyalRoad and it's called Gloryhound – it's about a guy in 2038 whose stuck being a wizard's assistant while wanting to be a rich and famous super hero. Look it up, and let me know what you think over there._

 _Until the next time!_

 _~Fulcon_


	17. Chapter 17: Forged

_The following is a fanbased work of fiction. Young Justice is property of DC Comics, Warner Brothers and Greg Weisman – please support the official release._

* * *

"Rose Entomology labs," Green Arrow said by way of introduction. "One of the biggest labs dedicated to the research of creepy crawlies in the nation."

"So, what exactly are we doing here?" Artemis asked after the had finished zipping to the roof of their building.

"Well, apparently Roderick Rose, the labs owner, ran out of grant money three days ago," Green Arrow replied, walking to the edge of the roof and taking a peek down below. "A group of federal agents went inside to confiscate everything he had been working on but…no ones been seen going in or out."

Artemis hummed, nodding to herself. "Mad scientist turn himself into a giant bug?"

"Probably," Green Arrow said, walking over to the skylight and peering inside. "I don't see anything inside the Atrium. We'll zip to the second floor. You grab your vision goggles?"

"Got 'em," Artemis answered, twirling the goggles by their headband on her finger.

"Well, put them on. If whatever's going on in there cut the power, we won't have lights," Green Arrow instructed, smashing a hole large enough for the both of them in the skylight with his bow.

Artemis did so and stepped beside Green Arrow, who slid his over his mask.

"You know, you'd think we'd have this sort of thing built into our masks," Artemis mused, knocking a grapple arrow.

"We almost did, but the masks haven't quite made it out of prototyping yet," Green Arrow explained, placing their end of the grapple line on the ground, it's hook hammering itself into the floor at their feet like a self-driven nail.

"Doesn't Batman already have that kind of tech in his cowl?" Artemis asked.

"Yeah, but asking a competitor to give you a leg up on them just isn't polite," Green Arrow replied.

"So, he's another rich guy," Artemis pointed.

"Yup," Green Arrow nodded. "Besides, when those masks get out of prototyping, it's actually going to do more than his cowl. Anyway, you ready?"

Artemis took a breath. "Yeah, let's do this."

"You're going to do fine," Green Arrow encouraged with a smile.

Artemis pulled the arrow back and let it fly. It flew down and impacted the wall on the second floor of the atrium with force, causing a small crater to form around the impact. On their side, the line started to retract until it was taut.

"You want me to go first?" Green Arrow asked.

"Yes," Artemis replied quickly, only to hastily backtrack. "I mean, sure. Only if you want to, I don't really care."

With a smirk, Green Arrow used his bow to travel down the zipline. Shortly after, Artemis followed.

The top level of the atrium was just a walkway that stretched along all four walls. On the side that Artemis and Green Arrow had landed on and on the opposite side, there were staircases going to the first floor.

"Alright, let's do a sweep of the lab," Green Arrow said, drawing a stun-arrow. "We'll stick together so we can watch each other's backs."

"I like that plan," Artemis said, drawing a stun-arrow herself.

Throughout the top level, it was clear that something had gone horrifically wrong. The break room had been thoroughly trashed, the simple wooden table that scientists had drank their coffee at day in and day out had been broken into pieces. Claw marks were drawn across the floor. Artemis knelt down and picked something out from these marks; it was a painted nail – someone was digging into the floor in a vain attempt to escape.

"This reminds me of a horror movie I once saw," Artemis remarked, placing her hand back on her arrow.

"Ceiling check," Green Arrow said, and they both looked up, finding nothing. "We need to remember to do that. Every five seconds, alright?"

"Got it," Artemis nodded.

"Good."

They continued their sweep. Aside from some royally trashed offices and insect displays, they didn't find anything. They continued to the main floor, which was entirely the same story, with one key addition.

On the floor of Doctor Rose's office was a clump of something clear…and sticky.

"Gross," Artemis's nose scrunched up in disgust as she pulled her fingers away, the viscous material sticking to her hand and connecting her to the blob. She shook it off and washed her hand with a disposable anti-bacterial wipe from her belt. "Well, we're getting closer to it. That's something."

"Ceiling check," Green Arrow said and they looked up.

Stuck to the ceiling was a pod of some kind, shaped like a sarcophagus. It brought to mind the idea of a person who had been unlucky enough to get stuck in a giant spider's web and it sent shivers down Artemis's spine. "Are we going to get them down?"

"No," Green Arrow shook his head. "We have no idea what's going on inside that pod. If we mess with it, whoever's inside might die."

"Or we might save their life," Artemis pointed out.

"Yeah, but believe me, there's a whole group of people waiting to get in here and figure it out," Green Arrow explained. "That'd be the Police and Paramedics, and they're much better trained at handling this sort of thing that we could ever be."

"So, we don't really do anything with clean-up?" Artemis asked.

"I do sometimes, like if it's a small store or something that got robbed, I try to pick up their insurance premiums and fix the damages through the charities I've got going on," Green Arrow answered. "But with something like this? It really is better to just leave it to the professionals."

"Makes sense to me."

"Of course, if we haven't really found anything bad on the second floor, and only one bad thing on the first floor, that just means what we're looking for is in the basement," Green Arrow explained. He pointed to a sign that read 'basement' hanging underneath the second-floor walkway that pointed at a door. "And that means we're heading in there."

"Oh boy," Artemis breathed.

"Hey cheer up," Green Arrow reassured her with a grin. "You're doing great."

"Thanks," Artemis replied, taking a deep breath and calm her nerves. "This whole situation has me on edge. You ask me to fight people, I can do that. Chaos gods? Mad Scientist's monsters? No thank you."

"I get it," Green Arrow nodded. "It's always a little freaky fighting something that's more than human, knowing you've just got your wits and your weapons to take it down. But trust me, you're more capable than you think."

"How do you know we can fight it?" Artemis asked with a frown.

"We don't," Green Arrow answered with a shrug. "But someone's got to do it."

"Great," Artemis snarked, glaring at the sign.

"Hey, cheer up," Green Arrow said with a grin. "If we can't fight him, we've got the rest of the League on speed dial."

"What are we supposed to do in until they get here?" Artemis asked.

They walked up to the basement door and opened it. The bottom of the staircase was shrouded in shadows, so both Green Arrow and Artemis turned on their goggles, allowing them to see concrete corridor and beyond down below.

"We improvise," Green Arrow answered, still grinning as he started walking down.

 _If we could improvise, we wouldn't need to call the League!_ Artemis thought in anxious exasperation, following after him and keeping an eye on their backs.

The first thing either of them noticed when they got to the bottom was the smell. If Artemis had to describe it, it was like rotting fruit mixed with raw sewage and it only got stronger as they continued down the corridor.

They came to another cocoon, this one stuck to the right wall right beside a steel door that looked like it had been torn in half by a giant claw. The hairs on the back of Artemis's neck stood up as the sound of and egg cracking started coming from the cocoon. It opened, thick strings of slime connecting both sides as a large _bug_ fell out of it.

The bug was wearing a lab coat, torn by the growth and changing proportions of the metamorphosis. The what looked like human skin was in tatters, barely still attached to the thick carapace that had grown beneath it. Mandibles jutted out where human cheeks should have been.

Green Arrow let loose a stun arrow, impacting the poor victim right in the head. He jumped forward. "Artemis, restrain it!"

"Got it!" Artemis let loose a capture arrow and thick, carbon fiber cables soon wrapped up this insectoid from head to toe. Green Arrow jumped back from it, and then the built-in taser went to work, stunning and incapacitating the insect.

"So, is that Doctor Rose?" Artemis asked with a deep frown.

Green Arrow knelt by the bug and plucked her ID card from the tattered lab coat. "No, Doctor Irene McCain. It looks like the entire lab has turned into a hive."

Artemis groaned. "So, you wouldn't by chance have a ton of bug spray in one of those arrows, would you?"

"We don't want to kill anyone Dr. Rose mutated," Green Arrow responded. "There's a chance they could be cured. But if I know my bugs right, these are just drones. If we take out Doctor Rose, they'll…stop."

"Wouldn't that be Doctor Rose back up in his office?" Artemis asked, pointing at the ceiling.

They both looked up and saw nothing.

"Nah, that was probably just one of his employees confronting him about his unethical research," Green Arrow waved it off. "Happens all the time. Rose is probably at the end of this hallway with whatever machine or chemical allowed him to pull this off."

"So, stun and restraint arrows?" Artemis asked, typing into her wrist computer for her arrows to configure themselves entirely to this particular type. Her arrows stood straight up in their quiver it refitted each trick-arrow for this purpose.

"Yup," Green Arrow nodded. "Let's press on."

They continued through the hall, poking their head into each side room. They saw it all, operating tables with massive machines hanging over them, storage rooms filled with shattered beakers and serums of all kinds on the floor. Given that the air inside this room was colored green, Arrow decided it was wise to just leave the door shut and make a note for biohazard personnel.

At the end was a massive, steel vault door that looked like it had been clawed through from the inside. Green Arrow and Artemis stepped inside and looked around. Whatever this room had been used for wasn't clear, because it was filled to the brim with cocoons stuck to every surface they could see.

"Well, well, well," a deep, raspy voice echoed through the vault. "I was wondering how long it would take for the Emerald Archer to come investigate. And who's this? I was expecting someone…Red."

"Keep calm, just look for him," Green Arrow muttered as he and Artemis assumed a back-to-back position. "Doctor Rose, I presume? Why don't you come out so we can talk?"

"Oh, I would but I'm afraid I'm a bit shy," Doctor Rose responded. "And I'm afraid I don't have much time to talk, I've got to work on…expanding. I'm sure you know what I mean."

Artemis looked up and out of the corner of her eye, she saw a large, _large_ bug. Like a massive mantis with four legs and wings on its abdomen. Just looking at it made Artemis's heart start pounding harder and she broke out in a cold swea "Ceiling on your left."

"Wow, he's big. Okay, on my signal, we make a break for it," Green Arrow muttered. "He might chase us, and the plan is to collapse the tunnel on him. Got it?"

"Okay," Artemis gulped. "You want me to switch to bomb arrows."

"No, I got it," Green Arrow replied, some his arrows standing straight up in the quiver.

"So, I'm afraid you really caught me at a bad time," Dr. Rose continued while the archers were muttering to themselves. "I don't have time for your untimely interruption."

"Well, I mean that's a little rude," Green Arrow called back. "We came all this way just to see you! But I guess if you really can't see us…we should go."

"Nonsense!" The bug charged, landing between them and the exit, causing the floor to shake beneath their feat. Behind them, they could hear the cocoons starting to split open. "I'm sure my staff here can find ways to entertain you."

Artemis knocked three stun arrows and let them loose before Dr. Rose could even finish speaking and they detonated in his insectoid face after he finished his sentence. As he unleashed his screech of pain, Artemis and Green Arrow ran forward underneath the giant bugs legs.

"So, collapse the tunnel?" Artemis asked loudly as they both hoofed it.

"Working on it," Green Arrow shouted back, launching two arrows at the tunnels ceiling every ten steps they took.

The sound of Dr. Rose's legs hitting the ground as they chased after them brought to Artemis's mind the image of boulders falling down the mountains. Artemis turned around and let loos a trio of Restraint arrows which tied three drones down in front of the massive bug, which did nothing to stop the oncoming horde.

"We need to move faster!" Artemis shouted as she picked up the pace, Green Arrow following suit.

"Alright, that's it," Green Arrow called right as they got to the stair case, taking out a manual detonator from his belt and pressing the button. Behind them, the sounds of explosions were muted but getting louder.

Right as Doctor Rose caught up with the Archers, the ceiling of his entire office building collapsed on him in a shower of rocks and dust, forcing Artemis to cover her face lest she inhale some.

"I'll get you!" Dr. Rose shouted. "The whole world will join my hive! You'll see! They'll all see!"

"Sure, we will," Green Arrow nodded. "By the way, we need a name for you. You got something we can give to the press?"

The Doctor responded by trying to take a bite out of Arrow's midsection with his massive mandibles.

"Guess not," Green Arrow responded, drawing his last explosive arrow while taking a step back. Once they got half-way across the atrium, he let the arrow loose and it exploded in the Doctor's face, finally knocking him out.

Artemis heard a noise behind them and whirled around, seeing a drone lunging for them. A twofer of stun and restraint arrows put a halt to its attack almost immediately.

"Huh, where'd that come from?" Green Arrow asked. "Oh, that's right. The cocoon on the second floor. That's right."

"Yeah. Great," Artemis said, breathing deeply.

"So, here's what I'm thinking," Green Arrow said. "We call him 'Hellgrammite'. Eh? Sound menacing enough? Make a good headline; 'Green Arrow and Artemis take down the insidious insectoid Hellgrammite'."

"Sounds perfect," Artemis said, trying to stop her bow from shaking. "Hoo."

"Hey," Green Arrow put his arm around Artemis's shoulders. "You did amazing and you can be proud of that. We saved the day. We saved a lot of people, maybe the entire city from being turned into insect drones. Alright? Focus on that."

"Okay," Artemis nodded. "Okay.

"Now, let me get the police called and we can grapple on out of here," Green Arrow said, getting on comms.

 _You know_ , Artemis thought, taking another look at the newly christened Hellgrammite who took an entire office building falling down on him to stop and it only restrained him. _I think Pyro's not as crazy as I thought._

* * *

"So, Mr. Freeze's Cryotech was actually pretty easy to crack," Vulcan said, taking the cigar out of his mouth and tapping the ashes in the ash tray. "I've already drawn up plans on new server designs to make use of the new cooling technology. Should work out pretty good for the third server location."

The four AI were currently making use of a virtual reality chat-room that Adjutant had created back when Jaina had first been written. Here, they piloted 3D avatars that moved, spoke and behaved like people in real-space, so they could pretend that they existed beyond the confines of a few servers and the internet.

Blue carpet, a round red couch and screens everywhere they could use to access any internet site they wanted. Or play any game they wanted. The walls were white with a single, red stripe circling the room.

Adjutant, who barely used the room, spoke up from her avatar's location as a woman who had been wired to the wall. "That's good. Have you made progress on cryoprotection for Michael?"

"That's a little harder to figure," Vulcan replied, materializing another file filled with papers to leaf through. "See, according to Doc's test battery, Mike ain't actually vulnerable to cold _per se_ , it's just Magic cold that causes him problems. So, while I could create a new set of thermals for him to wear, I don't think it'd do any good."

"That would depend on the magic being used," Jaina appeared in the room, matching the sorceress from the game that Michael had remembered playing from so long ago. "But for the type of vulnerability we're trying to address, I'd say Vulcan's right."

"So, do we give the League our findings now since we've hit the goal of our project?" Vulcan asked, placing the cigar back in his mouth. "Or what?"

"No, no, no, nooooooo," That was Doc, looking up from his desk, surgical mask doing nothing to inhibit the volume of their resident Doctor. "I've seen way too many stories of labs shafted for being too good at their job. Get dumped with greater and greater workload until their funding can't cut it anymore and then they get their work seized because they couldn't make ends meet."

"This is the Justice League," Jaina pointed out. "They may not be bright about some things, but they're good people."

"Yeah, but we still need to make sure they understand they can't take advantage of us," Doc argued back. "Being too eager gives the impression that we're desperate and the business savvy in their group are gonna see that as weakness."

"But if we don't deliver better results than their own research labs, they won't have much reason to actually want to work with us," Adjutant similarly pointed out. "But Doc is right, we need to make sure they don't take advantage of us and make especially sure they don't take advantage of Michael."

"Do we even know what the next project is?" Vulcan asked, drawing up yet another file to leaf through, this one containing all communications Mike had had with the League, and Adjutants one conversation. "I know I'm dreaming when I say I hope they let us get a crack at that Amazo unit, but…"

"They're never going to let us touch the Amazo unit," Doc pointed out in disappointment. "Just get that out of your programming, Vulcan. Never. Gonna. Happen."

"I just want that things scanner," Vulcan said. "The rest would be gravy, but the scanner is the meat and potatoes of the whole thing. If I had that, Mike could scan his team and eventually the entire Justice League and we wouldn't even need to enter into this deal with them."

"Well, maybe Professor Ivo will respond to Mike's letter and we can actually have a shot at understanding the Amazo Unit's technology," Adjutant replied calmly.

"Still nothing from him, eh?" Vulcan asked.

"No," Adjutant shook her head. "Nothing."

"That's unfortunate," Doc sighed. "Well, Vulcan, have you put together any working theories on how a scanner like that might work?"

"I found a few college papers from a guy named Seymore Richardson," Vulcan said. "It's enough to start drawing up some plans, but nothing I've been able to figure can fit in Mike's helmet, which is the real goal here."

"Let's pitch them to Michael, maybe he can build one, test it out around the neighborhood and then we can work on making something more efficient," Adjutant suggested.

"It's not up to standards, though," Vulcan said, extinguishing the cigar stub and sticking another in his mouth. He wondered what a real cigar was like, briefly, before returning to the task at hand. "But you're right, I do have a barely-functional idea that probably won't even work right; we need to start prototyping as fast as possible."

"If this works, Vulcan, you'll be my new favorite sibling," Doc grinned beneath his surgical mask.

"I thought I was your favorite," Jaina said with a frown.

"That was before you-" Doc began, only to get gut off.

"Actually, Jaina?" Vulcan began, turning in his chair and laying a big, burly arm with a skull and crossbones tattoo on the forearm. "You mind perusing through those detection spells you weren't sure were worth our time? We should start testing those since Mike's about done with his latest batch of magic potion."

"Sure," Jaina nodded. "Why not? We'll take that leap of faith. Why?"

"What we might do is, if some of them work, enchant the goggles with them and I can just focus on creating a device dedicated to interpreting the data," Vulcan said, starting to muse to himself. "Actually, if some of them work, Jaina can start making her own version based on them and then we can scan superhero and supervillain's magically."

"That is a wonderful idea," Adjutant nodded with a pleased smile.

"I like it," Jaina nodded. "I was shelving the detection spells until after I got done cataloguing all of this data from the Tower of Fate that Michael has been getting for us…you know what, I'm going to ask Mike ask Kent and Nabu about detection spells when I get the chance."

"Yes!" Doc shouted, standing up with such force that his chair was knocked back as he raised a triumphant fist in the air. "We shall soon have the Flash Formula within our grasp! Mike shall become the ultimate lifeform just as we have always dreamed!"

This celebration was cut short when a wave of…something washed over each of the AI.

"What was that?" Doc asked, holding his victorious pose.

"Michael's room has intruders," Adjutant explained, her avatar plinking out of existence.

* * *

"I'm just saying, if it lives here, we need to know who it is," Mr. Winter said, pushing open the door to his son's room. "I'm not comfortable with a sapient anything living in our house without ever meeting it."

"But honey, Mike doesn't," Mrs. Winter started with an anxious expression as she looked inside her son's room. "Mike doesn't want us in his room."

"Well…it's our house," Mr. Winter replied lamely, taking a breath and stepping inside. His eyes fell on the monitors sitting on Mike's desk, his frown growing deeper. "We pay for him to live here, we can go into his room."

Mrs. Winter took a tentative step inside with a deep frown. "Okay, honey."

Mr. Winter took a deep breath, looking at the machine. He got down on one knee and looked beneath the desk, seeing the black boxes full of ram, circuit boards and hearing the fan. "Well, it's on. Uh…hello? Can you hear me? I know you're there."

The monitor second from the left activated, showing Adjutant's avatar. "Good evening."

"Oh," Mr. Winter scrambled back to his feet to retain some semblance of dignity. "Are you Mike's AI?"

"Yes, my name is Adjutant," She replied calmly and cheerfully. "You must be Michael's parents. It's nice to finally meet you."

"That's…that's us," Mr. Winter nodded. "I'm Frank Winter, this is Ellie. Hi."

"Hello," Mrs. Winter gave a small wave. "We just, uh, wanted to meet you."

Adjutant decided it best to not bring up the conversation she overheard between Michael and her following his first mission. "It's a pleasure. May I help you with anything?"

"You can tell us…what it is that you do?" Mr. Winter stated with a frown.

"My function is to handle cyber security and secretarial responsibilities," Adjutant rattled off. "I manage his firewall, censor his word documents and emails and manage his schedule."

"Sounds useful," Mrs. Winter offered with a nervous smile.

"He made you to be his swearing police?" Mr. Winter asked with a curious expression.

"Among other things," Adjutant replied. "Michael picked up the habit of swearing from school and he detests it, so he has asked me to help him break it. For the most part, I've succeeded."

"I've never heard him swear," Mrs. Winter replied. "So yeah, I guess you did."

"Would you like anything else?" Adjutant asked kindly.

"No…look, we just wanted to meet you because you've been living in our house for a while now and we didn't know about you," Mr. Winter stated. "So…Mike's told you the rules of the house?"

"He has," Adjutant nodded pleasantly. "I help him keep them, too."

"Well…good. Good," Mr. Winter nodded. "Just keep the rules and we'll be okay."

"I assure you, you will not have any problem with me," Adjutant nodded.

Mrs. Winter folded her hands in front of her. "Well, okay. Um…do you just sit in Michael's computer all day?"

"I do have access to the internet," Adjutant replied.

"Well, okay," Mrs. Winter repeated, nervously. "I was just, you know…wondering. We do have a television screen downstairs. It has a camera, you know? So, if you maybe wanted to come say hi…you could."

Adjutant had been down there several times, though it was never for very long. "I might just do that. Thank you for the offer."

"So why didn't Mike tell us he built you?" Mr. Winter asked with a pointed finger and a confused expression. "He used to love bragging about his accomplishments."

"I believe he simply grew out of being boastful," Adjutant replied. "Or perhaps he figured that no one truly cared about anything he accomplished."

"I cared," Mr. Winter grumbled to himself. "I always cared."

"Well, I'll let him know when he returns home if you'd like me too," Adjutant offered kindly. "He's doing quite well under Doctor Fate's tutelage."

"Yeah, he's really taken to the whole superhero thing," Mr. Winter nodded. "…you're helping him with that too, I assume?"

"Of course," Adjutant nodded with a small smile. "I make sure no one attempting to dox him finds out about his extracurricular activities."

"Good," Mr. Winter nodded. "Good. Are people really still trying to get at him over Zsasz?"

"Some, though it has died down a lot since the incident," Adjutant answered. "Mostly it's just the mentally unwell who were fans of Zsasz, a far cry from the mob of empty and disaffected teenagers looking to signal that they were virtuous crusaders for righteousness."

Mr. Winter chuckled. "No kidding. Kids these days have no moral guidance anymore."

"Frank, to be fair, most people don't have both parents thanks to all the crime," Mrs. Winter offered in defense. "Though I suppose Mike helped that when he took that maniac off the streets."

"I do not believe there is an argument to be had there," Adjutant said, feeling a little calmer now. Well, the odds of things going wrong had just gone down, so she felt calm.

"Well…we'll let you get back to…whatever you were doing," Mr. Winter said. "We just wanted to come meet you. Don't, uh, be a stranger, alright?"

"I'll see you later," Adjutant said, as both parents filed out. Her monitor went blank.

Out in the hall, going down stairs, Mrs. Winter started. "She seemed…nice."

"Yeah," Mr. Winter nodded. "Maybe we should talk to Mike about looks though, because she can't be comfortable with all those wires and cables coming out of her head."

* * *

There was a lot to be said about explosions.

The first being that they were destructive.

Mike was able to use the Order magic flowing through him to start bottling explosions and make them rocket toward a target. The whole room was coated in dust and rubble as the explosions kicked up so much dirt and rock that the vast, endless expanse of plains within the tower of fate looked like a bomb had gone off; because many, many had.

The second being that they were loud.

Mike had blown out his ears four separate times practicing explosions. They always rapidly fused shut and with the healing and regenerative magics that Kent and Nabu had taught him, he was able to hear again in as little as an hour.

The third was that, given the right set up, they could be perpetual.

Before, he was simply trying to use a jet of flame to push himself off the ground, not truly achieving lift and not really trying to create shaped explosions, unsure he had the control for it. Now, however, with two explosions perpetually going off right at his shoulders, shaped downward, he was flying with a jetpack.

The fourth and final, was that they could be considered the ultimate resistance workout.

Every limb Mike had was emanating smoke. At first, he had started small, the grenades he set off in his hand being enough to blow his hands back and nearly rip them off. Ever since he started his rocket-jumping regimen, his entire body was sore and his powers were reconstructing his body as quickly as they could to make up for the abuse he was putting it through.

But the dopamine rush he got with every jump, every time he was sent nearly into the stratosphere with a well-placed explosion, was great enough to make him completely ignore the pain that we being burned out of his body as he spoke.

Still smiling heavily as he fell to the ground, he checked the time. _Oh. Almost time to put the helmet back on. Okay then._

Now, he was filled with disappointment, but the rush in his brain was enough to keep him happy regardless. His fingers, arms and legs all let trails of smoke into the air and he took a breath.

 _I did not think that magic lessons with a Lord of Order could be this much fun_ , Mike thought, his first, genuine grin in many years refusing to leave his face and he didn't want it to go anywhere. _Order gets a bad rap, I haven't had this much fun in years._

Where once a small grenade nearly blasted an arm away from his body, he could now detonate a large bomb and be totally fine, which was giving Mike some suspicions about the interactions his flames were having with the forces of Order.

Grunting in effort, Michael looked around. _Where'd I leave that thing again?_

A holographic Kent appeared in front of him. "Michael, it's nearly time to become Doctor Fate once again."

"Yeah, cool," Mike took a breath. "Where's the helmet again? I've lost it?"

"Follow the flare," the hologram pointed across the horizon to a blue flare that had appeared.

"Thank you, tower," Mike said, standing up, then leaning forward. With a massive explosion, he was sent into the sky, cresting up high and then slowly starting to descend. When he nearly hit the ground, another explosion sent him rocketing forward, then another and another, like he was a skipping stone across a pond.

With another explosion, he stopped nearly fifty feet in front of the helmet. "…maybe another small one."

A small rocket jump and he landing on one knee in front of the helmet. He took a deep breath, and grabbed the golden helm, placing it on his head.

Just like that, his pain was gone and he was standing in the plain of infinite blackness that was the inside of the Helmet of Fate.

"So, did you enjoy yourself?" Kent asked with an amused expression.

" _Yes_ ," Mike said with great emphasis. "Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes…"

"Okay, okay. Settle down," Kent chuckled. "What have you learned."

"Rocket Jumping is the best thing ever," Mike said quickly.

"I can see that," Nabu said wryly. "Your body is nearly spent."

"Have you noticed anything else while you were jumping?" Kent asked with a curious expression. "Perhaps a greater tolerance."

"I can handle bigger explosions without blowing myself to pieces," Mike replied with a grin. "Either this means that I'm growing more resistant to my own explosions or…"

"A little better than that, actually," Kent said with a grin. "Fire is the element of the forge. It can build things, it can repair things, and it can even make things stronger. It just needs the right tools. For steel, you need iron and carbon, right?"

"Right, right," Mike nodded. "Are you saying what I think you're saying?"

"Or in your case, lactic acid, magical fire and the restorative magics of Order," Kent nodded with a grin.

"Is there precedent for that sort of thing?" Mike asked, his jaw having dropped.

"Well, I was still able to live unassisted and without being senile while being one-hundred and six years old," Kent said with a grin. "The forces of Order will do that for a human body."

"So, my muscles are turning into a biological alloy of flesh and magic?" Mike asked, looking at his fingers and arms. "That's _awesome_."

"Indeed," Kent nodded. "Indeed."

"I don't need a strength serum after all," Mike continued. "This has been such a lucky break for me, I can't believe it. I…I…I need to upgrade Doc."

"Why?" Kent asked, amused by the sudden change in topic.

"He needs to be able to operate on me even though I've got super strength and durability," Mike answered. "Those plain scalpels just aren't going to cut it."

"That makes sense," Kent nodded with a thoughtful frown. "Good to be prepared in case of emergency."

"Yeah," Mike nodded to himself. Then he started frowning. "Can I ask you something?"

"You just did," Kent said with a sly grin.

Mike just narrowed his eyes at him. "That's a dead joke."

"I prefer 'timeless' joke," Kent corrected with a finger stuck up in the air. "But sure, what did you want to ask me?"

"How did you know I did something to my soul?" Mike asked pointedly. "Moreover, how did Klarion know just by looking at me?"

"Well, your fusing is uneven, disorganized…like it had been done with a paperclip and some shoestring," Kent shrugged. "It works fine and it's serviceable, but compared to someone that had been out and out blessed by the Parliament of Flames, well…the comparison between a bottle rocket and the space shuttle is apt."

"Uneven and disorganized," Mike repeated. "Huh."

"Don't get me wrong, your Jaina did a _magnificent_ job with what she knew," Kent said with a reassuring smile. "But I imagine there are things she'd rather do differently that she can't anymore."

"Am I going to run into problems later?" Mike asked.

"Probably as you get older," Kent nodded. "I would be surprised if, in your old age, parts of you just start catching fire at random and you won't be cognizant enough to put them out."

"So, are we talking death in old age like a phoenix where everything is made new and stuff is fixed or death as in 'this is the end'?" Mike asked seriously.

"It could be either of them, really," Kent answered with a shrug. "I don't know."

"So, is there a way to fix this whole 'uneven' and 'disorganized' crap?" Mike asked desperately. "I know that's probably because I used cast-off matter from the Burn instead of proper elemental, but still, if there's a way to remedy it..."

"I might be able to do something," Nabu offered. "Reorganize and recontextualize the bonding that you've undergone, make the flames you've used more cohesive and more stable."

"…would that effect my identity as a caustic, turd-slinging monkey at all?" Mike asked with narrowed eyes.

"Your identity will not undergo any change," Nabu answered. "You will not lose or gain anything. I am merely smoothing out the fusing itself and stabilizing what you fused too."

"And what do you want for this service?" Mike asked, eyes narrowing.

"Think of this as a gift in exchange for all of the extra hours as Doctor Fate you've allowed me," Nabu replied. "Our deal was for weekends only and I cannot afford to compensate you for this extra time, otherwise."

"Alright, that makes total sense to me," Mike nodded. "Is it going to hurt?"

"I will do my best to prevent it," Nabu reassured. "Do you want for me to proceed?"

Mike inhaled. "Do it."

* * *

 _Author's Notes: Well, I've been asked by several people for Mike to get a powerup, so…here it is. An improved Fire Elemental with super strength attached by way of getting 'forged' into something stronger by his own powers. Hope you guys enjoyed it and I hope it at least makes sense to everyone. Let me know what you guys all thought and just so you guys know – I rarely give my MC's anything for free. Mike will find himself facing a new problem as a result of this._

 _Also, since it's going to be Christmas when I post this – Merry Christmas! I hope you all are enjoying the time spent celebrating and I hope you guys enjoy this little present prepared in advance._

 _Shout out goes out to newest patron_ Jacob A Bridgewater _. Your support means the world to me and sometime this week, there's going to be a new patron-only post on my for you and all my backers to enjoy. Look out for it!_

 _Kudos also goes to_ Melden V, Anders Kronquist, Ray Tony Song, makopaulo, Volkogluk, Aaron Bjornson, iolande, Martin Auguado, Julio, Jiopaba, Hackerham, Tim Collins-Squire, Maben00, Sultan Saltlick, PostLifeSyndrome, Ventari _and_ PbookR. _Thank you all so much._

 _Until the next time!_

 _~Fulcon_


	18. Chapter 18: Doused

_The following is a fanbased work of fiction._

* * *

This had been an interesting few weeks, that much was certain.

Aqualad had been hoping to spend the past three weeks reconnecting with Garth and Tula, kindling a romantic partnership with Tula and just relaxing.

Life, it seems, always found a way to bite through your hide when you weren't looking.

The first was that Garth and Tula had been dating in the few months that he had been gone. It was infuriating because Garth knew Kal'dur had harbored feelings for Tula for the longest time. It was heartbreaking because Tula also knew and was waiting for him to work up the courage to ask her on a date. But she chose Garth after he had departed.

Where had he gone wrong?

That was a question for later, as Poseidonis was under attack. Tula, the love of his live with her vibrant red hair and brilliant aquamarine eyes had just taken a shot to the back protecting his other friend.

Her boyfriend.

Garth.

…who had done an exemplary job of watching his flank…

Aqualad bit his tongue to prevent that snide remark from sliding out. He had had to do that more and more often lately. But they had bigger fish to fry, in a matter of speaking.

Queen Mera had created a mighty kraken from the ocean itself to fight off the invaders, soldiers clad in black armor, firing red lasers that could not get through the mighty beast's limbs as they beat and threw them away like one would bat away a surface gnat.

"Surface communications are down!" Prince Orm called, looking toward the trio. "We cannot reach King Orrin! Summon more troops to the palace."

"The palace was not the only target," Garth, whose long black hair was kept in topknot, said. "I've witnessed explosions in sectors one, two, three and five."

"Nothing in sector four?" Aqualad asked. "The science center is the target, they're looking to take the giant sea star, Prince Orm."

"Then it is all a diversion!" Prince Orm snarled. "But with the King away, I must remain to protect the queen and the heir!"

Aquaman, to perfect this tragedy of a day, had been called away on League business.

"I need no protection!" Queen Mera shouted. "Go!"

"No, Mera! If you had come to harm, the King would never forgive me!" Orm shouted back.

"The Prince is right, my Queen!" Aqualad called over the sounds of rushing water. "This battle is mine!"

Aqualad darted forward, deliberately ignoring Garth shouting behind him. Now was not the time for argument and he needed to focus. The tentacles of Queen Mera's monster cleared the path for him and protected him from their attempt at entrapping him around him like swarm of surface wasps.

The science center was not far, past multiple reefs and undersea rivers. As Aqualad had predicted, it was also under attack, with explosions happening at multiple levels of the facility. Above the facility, the Manta Sub pulled over the top and started firing a bright orange laser down onto the dome.

 _I'll need to hurry_ , Aqualad thought to himself, swimming faster and coming to the entrance. He quickly keyed in his access code and the port opened. At the sound of someone swimming behind him, he turned and nearly drew a sword, only to find Garth. "You should be with Tula."

"The Queen watches over Tula," Garth retorted with a glare. "And sent me after you."

Aqualad glared back. "Watch our back in there, we cannot afford to fail due to carelessness."

Garth flinched slightly from the rebuke. "I understand."

"Good."

At that moment, he somewhat understood Pyro's fascination with dragging mistakes and those that made them over the coals. It felt very, very good to do, especially when the mistake he was calling out nearly killed something he had loved so dearly.

They swam inside, the port closing behind them.

Of course, it would not do to indulge in that habit to the same extreme; it would do far more harm than good.

They continued swimming through the corridor and Aqualad saw out of the corner of his eye some shadows passing through the corridor to the left. It was usually at this point that Robin would disappear without a trace to handle the unseen threat, having seen an opportunity for mischief.

A little mischief was called for.

Aqualad swam to the left, through the passage and ahead he saw the patrol of two manta-men. He swam up above them in a text-book stealth maneuver and dove them with maces in hand. He looked toward Garth who looked startled. "We will take their armor and disguise ourselves."

"That is a good plan," Garth said, swimming forward to assist in taking their armor. "Look, there's a crack in the ceiling."

"That leads directly to the sea-star containment lab," Aqualad replied with a nod. "After we take their armor and hide the bodies, we will move ahead and ensure that Black Manta does not get the star."

Were there any details he could work out? If they planned on saving the star, they would need to stop the manta sub from taking the frozen sea star, which meant disabling the crane they undoubtedly were setting up.

 _Quick question_ , the thought came into Aqualad's mind in Pyro's voice. _Why are you both going right into the center of their strike force in flimsy disguises?_

Aqualad blinked. "Do you know a spell that can attack the entire lab?"

"I do not," Garth replied. "But I can make whirlpools."

"How many pools can you make?" Aqualad asked.

"Three," Garth answered. "But I don't have much control over them."

"You will wait beneath the crack and begin making your whirlpool," Aqualad said. "Have them target Black Manta and his forces if you can. In the chaos, I will sabotage the crane and draw enemy fire."

"I understand."

Their disguises complete, they swam forward with the weapons of their enemy in hand. The crack was ten feet long and four feet wide, large enough for both of them to swim through. About half-way through, Aqualad stopped Garth and gave him the signal.

"I summon the powers of the tempest," Garth said, channeling raw arcane power in his hands, raising them above his head as the waters span and span above him. He did so again and a third time. "Okay, that's all I have. Now comes your part."

Aqualad nodded and swam up.

The lab, as hoped for, was in chaos. Black Manta was swimming away from the largest whirlpool that was charging him at top speed, the other enemies caught and trying to either help each other out or trying to get away.

"Secure the sea star!" Black Manta shouted, looking in Aqualad's direction.

He gave an Atlantean salute in response, flying up to the crane and blasting the winch that was connecting the frozen monolith to the submarine above. The cord started swinging wildly and then started to retract. _Now to subdue Black Manta_.

"What have you done?" Black Manta asked enraged, flying around a pillar and stopping as the whirlpool had finally run its course. "…Aqualad."

Aqualad raised his rifle and fired at Black Manta, who flew down. His other lackeys had all been taken care of by the whirlpools, leaving just him.

"I summon the powers of the tempest!" Garth shouted, sticking out from the crack with his hands placed forward, creating another massive whirlpool that reminded Aqualad more of a cyclone than anything else.

Black Manta fired lasers from his helmet's eyes down at Garth in retaliation as he flew backward to dodge. Aqualad flew forward, creating a large shield out of his water-bearers to block the blasts before swimming after Black Manta.

Given that his disguise came with an aqua-pack, it was a relatively simple matter to catch up to Black Manta. One of his water-bearers created a whip that ensnared the villain by the ankle, the other became a shield to protect from Black Manta's retribution.

"No!" Black Manta shouted as Aqualad pulled him toward Garth's whirlpool. He was spun and spun until he was finally let loose, hitting the stone wall with enough force to make a crater and his body sunk to the lab's floor.

* * *

"Perhaps I am simply imagining things," Aqualad began, standing in the courtyard with his two friends. "But did the Prince not seem a little disappointed?"

"I," Tula began, looking a little uneasy. She had made a full recovery, thankfully, with not even a scar. "I believe I saw the same thing."

"I wonder what it means," Garth said thoughtfully, peering at the Prince who was speaking to a returned King Orrin and Queen Mera through the corner of his eyes.

"We can talk about it later," Aqualad said. "Tula, Garth, I…need to confess something. When I learned that the two of you had been dating since I had joined the team on the surface, I wished you all the best. I still do, but I had grown…irritated by your relationship. I am sorry."

"It's alright, Kal'dur," Tula said kindly. "We should have tried to tell you when we had started dating."

"It's in the past," Aqualad brushed it off. "The fault is mine, but I believe that our time apart has caused us all to grow distant as friends."

"It has," Garth agreed. "We have not tried to keep in touch. Tula and I didn't want to have to…tell you and that is our fault. You got busy on the surface"

"Indeed, I did," Aqualad replied. "But the attack on our city had made be start to think. Both of you had performed well, defending the queen and the city from Black Manta's attack."

"My failure to watch my back got Tula hurt," Garth said regretfully.

"Garth, it's fine now," Tula said reassuringly. "I don't even have a scar. It is in the past."

"That is not what I wished to bring up," Aqualad said. "I was thinking that, perhaps that you both might consider…joining me."

"Joining you?" Tula repeated.

"On the surface," Aqualad confirmed with a slow nod. "Please hear me out."

They both held their peace, waiting for Aqualad to continue.

"You both are highly talented sorcerers who were able to keep their cool during the crises," Aqualad began, taking a breath. "If it wasn't for both of your help, we would not have been able to keep the frozen sea star out of Black Manta's hands. Both of you. Tula, for helping me clear the path to the palace and then having the courage to save Garth and then Garth for causing the chaos I needed to save the star itself. Atlantis needs more protectors – protectors like you, talented, fearless and willing to do the right thing. The surface also needs people like you and we would be able to re-forge our friendship. You'd be in direct service of the King and the Team itself is great company."

"I don't know," Tula said with a frown.

"You don't have to decide now," Aqualad said with a small smile. "Just…think about it. I would love it if both of you came with me but if you don't, I understand."

Tula and Garth both looked at each other.

"We'll talk about it," Garth nodded.

"Thank you," Aqualad replied with a smile. "Let me know tomorrow, so that I may speak to the King about it."

* * *

 _That was a little scary, Uncle J'onn,_ M'Gann thought, slowly setting her humanoid feet down onto the desert sands within the tent. _I didn't know humans could get that telepathically powerful._

 _Humans like this are rare indeed_ , J'onn agreed, slowly de-camouflaging as he looked around. _Which accounts for why most turn to some form of villainy; very little preventing them taking advantage of their powers._

The human in question was Psimon, who had psychically detected the Martian duo and had attacked them both. It was only through J'onn quick thinking and superior experience that prevented either of them from having their minds wiped, or worse.

 _Which goes into what I was saying earlier_ , J'onn explained, lifting the unconscious bodies of the Bialyan troops and organizing them in neat, orderly rows. _Humans have no natural defenses against telepathy and as such we must be careful to not overstep our bounds with them._

 _I get that,_ M'Gann replied, looking over the scanning equipment. _I'm just wondering, where's the line? I mean my friends told me that mind reading without getting their okay is okay for villains but not good guys but they don't want us just ripping their brains apart and, Hello Megan, it's obvious! Except…it's not, really._

The two were currently in the middle of Bialya, a desert middle eastern country. The Justice League had detected a massive energy reading coming from the country and had sent Martian Manhunter to investigate. The team would have been mobilized instead since it was believed to be a low-risk assignment, but the team was still scattered.

 _We can defend ourselves_ , J'onn began to answer. _But we must never escalate the situation ourselves._

 _But what if there's a villain whose resisting my mind reading,_ M'Gann started, frowning in deep thought. _And if I don't get it out of him, then people will die?_

 _Then you slither your way into his mind like a snake and take only what you need,_ J'onn replied. _Do not harm the villain in this manner, humans see psychic shock as an especially heinous crime._

 _Because they have no defense against it,_ M'Gann nodded.

 _And because their minds are not equipped to recover from such things_ , J'onn added. _You must never forget that. Now, M'Gann, what do you think this is?_

The entire tent that they were standing in was built around a single sphere that was as tall as M'Gann and was just as wide. It trying to escape by spinning in the sand, but to no avail. _Some kind of xeno technology? Not from Earth, though._

 _Can you reach it telepathically?_ J'onn asked interestedly.

 _Nope_ , M'Gann shook her head and paused when the sphere stopped rolling forward. A lens opened up and it looked right at where M'Gann was camouflaged. _Uh…Uncle J'onn? Can it see me?_

 _It's likely_ , J'onn said with an amused tone. _Perhaps you should decloak? It would be polite._

M'Gann did so, and the sphere made several beeping noises in slow succession. _It sounds…sad. You think we should let it go?_

 _What are your instincts telling you?_ J'onn asked.

 _That if it were bad, it wouldn't be out here in the middle of the desert being tortured by a supervillain,_ M'Gann replied, mostly to herself. _I'm going to set it free._

 _Just be ready in case something goes wrong_ , J'onn cautioned.

 _Right, right,_ Ms. Martian nodded to herself. "Alright, let's get you out of there…"

All she had to do was loosen the bolts on the sphere's restraints and that was fairly easy to do. When it was done, it slowly rolled off of the platform it had been bound too and gave a series of happy boops. Then it leaned into M'Gann lightly.

 _I think it likes you_ , J'onn said with amusement.

 _I think you're right_ , M'Gann thought with a smile, rubbing the top. "Hi there. I'm M'Gann. Do you have a name?"

It started beeping rapidly and across all tons but then suddenly ended with a long 'dwooooo'.

"I guess that'd be kind of hard to convey if I can't understand you, huh?"

More beeps.

"Well, can I call you…Wheeler?" M'Gann asked with a curious look.

The sphere gave a few happy beeps.

"Alright, I'll call you Wheeler," M'Gann grinned happily. "Can I keep him?"

J'onn sighed and shook his head in bemusement. "I suppose. Just take care of him and don't let Pyro near him."

"I won't," M'Gann said with a nod. "I mean, I'll take care of him, I just won't let Pyro near him. That's what I meant."

 _Also, Wheeler? After Megan?_ J'onn asked in bemusement.

 _Well, I still like the show,_ M'Gann replied defensively. _I mean, it's not really an accurate representation of Earth Culture like I thought it was but…I still like it._

 _I suppose there's nothing wrong with that,_ J'onn placated with a shrug. _But you didn't think about naming it after any of the other main characters you've come to like? John Conner? Ellen Ripley perhaps?_

 _I don't really like the Alien franchise,_ M'Gann's nose scrunched up. _The alien resembles Martians a bit too much._

 _Huh_ , J'onn blinked. _I don't really see that, but I suppose it makes sense. Now, we will make the journey back to Quarac. When the soldiers wake up, they will remember nothing and we have neutralized their camera recordings. After we've done some preliminary analysis, you may take it back with you to Middletown._

 _Okay Uncle J'onn,_ M'Gann thought in affirmative. "Let's go, I've got a great spot for you to stay that's as far away from these creeps as possible."

The sphere gave a really happy beep and off they went.

 _Say, Uncle J'onn? You think they have that new episode of Strange Files?_ M'Gann asked. _I love that show!_

* * *

"Well, you definitely got yourself super strength," Doc said, trying to poke a needle through Mike's arm and failing miserably. "Did you see how much you can lift yet?"

"Three thousand pounds, according to that gym in the tower," Mike replied, grinning like crazy since he had gotten home and completely unable to sleep. "Don't think I've plateaued yet, either."

He was laying in Doc's medical pod, having been poked and prodded at for the better part of an hour. Trying to make incisions, trying to inject a saline solution, finding no purchase.

"So, this is both a good thing and a bad thing," Doc said. "The good news is that we don't have to look so hard for a strength serum and we won't need to look for it really until you actually plateau. The bad news is that when you're this durable, I can't perform my primary function; bodily modification or emergency surgery."

"Which is a good problem to have," Mike replied with a smile as the pod opened and he sat up. "So, first thing on my agenda would be to upgrade you immediately to be able to work on superhuman bodies. Shouldn't be too hard, just need a plus-one upgrade to all of your tools. Maybe plus-two."

"Can I say just how much it tickles me that you just put giving me better tools in D'n'D terms?" Doc asked with a chuckle. "Because it's funny."

"I thought it was," Mike said. "So, you guys finished with that Mr. Freeze tech?"

"We have finished, and received the next project in due course," Adjutant answered. "It's the Thinking Cap, a hat capable of granting anyone who wears it telekinesis and telepathy…at the expense of the user's sanity."

"I'm working on figuring out how it works," Vulcan began. "Doc thinks the insanity is a result of accidentally frying parts of the brain with too much electrical stimuli while you're throwing people around. Might be able to fix it, though."

"Okay, and we can actually use these projects we're being handed, right?" Mike asked with narrowed eyes.

"We're only being allowed access to technology that we can share with you," Adjutant replied. "That was the contract."

"Good. Good," Mike approved, nodding. "Now, what was it that you needed to tell me?"

They didn't respond immediately.

"Your parents came into your room for the express purpose of meeting Adjutant," Vulcan replied, his avatar sipping coffee while going over technical blueprints.

"What."

"Your father was kneeling under your desk, so I…introduced myself to prevent them from touching anything," Adjutant explained, as calm and serene as ever. "The meeting went well, and I got invited to come downstairs sometime."

"And that's it?" Mike asked, sounding somewhat affronted.

"That was the extent of it," Adjutant replied. "Also, I believe I overheard them talking about how uncomfortable I am with wires and cables in my skull."

"Are you uncomfortable?" Mike asked.

"No, but I appreciated the concern all the same," Adjutant said with a small smile. "Especially coming from a pair of people who until recently were afraid that I was going to attempt world domination."

Mike leaned forward, his eyes lost in thought. "So…do you just have magical conflict resolution abilities or something? Because you're scoring home runs with every situation you run into so far and it's kind of freaking me out."

"It comes with the ability to remain calm and friendly," Adjutant explained with a smile. "If you were to hone those skills, perhaps you would find more success in the social arena."

"Alright, let's change the subject," Mike said with a frown. "Kent's already been on me about that, I'd like to not think about it."

"Acknowledged," Adjutant replied.

"So, have you noticed any other changes since Nabu finished reorganizing your soul?" Jaina asked.

"Well, I'm better at managing my smoke now," Mike replied, generating a smoke-ring around him, and then moving it out in front. "Still can't turn _in_ to smoke though, but that's to be expected. And look, I can make shapes."

He turned the smoke ring into a square. Then a cube outline. Then a DNA sequence. Then into a pyramid.

"Well, being tutored by a Lord of Order seems to be the best thing that's happened to you in a long time," Vulcan said. "That's super-strength, rocket jumping and smoke control by my count."

"It's amazing," Jaina agreed. "I wonder if he has any thoughts on added further elemental essences…"

"He doesn't like the idea," Mike replied. "He think's it'll start causing problems with my physical body if I try."

"Awww." Jaina pouted in disappointment. "I wanted to see if we could make frostfire a reality."

"Yeah, I know. But honestly, I'll take what I've got right now," Mike said with a grin. "Rocket jumping is actually the best. It's the _best_."

"Good, so you started getting tired yet?" Doc asked.

"No," Mike said as he yawned deeply. "I mean yes."

"Okay, you're sleeping in the hospital bed tonight so I can keep an eye on you," Doc ordered with a pointed finger. "That way if, or when, the unpleasant side-effects of what Nabu just did show up, we can be prepared for it."

"Alright, alright. Cool," Mike nodded, having trouble holding his eyes open. "G'night everyone."

His four AI's bid him good night and Mike got dressed in his black pajamas with a fiery-grill pattern. He grabbed his pillow from his bed and shoved it into Doc's capsule and laid down to go to sleep. Immediately, Doc sounded a buzzer.

"What?" Mike asked irritably.

"So, the top of your skull has sharply increased in it's temperature," Doc replied. "And it's still rising."

"What are you talking about?" Mike asked, starting to wake up from panic. "…wait, that's where we put my anti-psi chip."

"I'm thinking your healing factor remembered that that thing doesn't actually belong in your body and it's starting to reject it," Doc suggested gravely. "We either need to get your healing factor under control or remove the chip before it starts breaking; I do _not_ want it to start liquidating your brain because some circuits got melted!"

"Aw…crap," Mike thought. "I don't think I can keep my eyes open for much longer, guys."

"Here," Jaina said. "I'm printing up a ward. Take a swig of some mana potion and place it on the counter-top above the capsule. It should suppress your healing factor long enough for you to sleep and then we can work on fixing this."

"Okay," Mike thought, sitting up as the capsule opened. He reached for his desk and pulled out the tall water-bottle filled with mana potion. He was too tired to care how disgusting it tasted or what was in it and he watched the printer as it finished pushing out the ward.

He grabbed the paper and placed it on the capsule's table top. "Koreeeeeeah-pooolt."

The paper started glowing and disappeared, leaving a temporary black imprint on the top.

"Okay, it's done," Mike said, slowly laying back down in the capsule.

"Good, good," Doc said. "Mike?"

"What?"

"It's going to be okay."

"Thanks."

"And you don't need to worry at all."

"Thank you."

"So, don't worry. At all."

"I'd like to fall asleep now."

"Sorry."

* * *

 _Author's Note: Fascinating how the wheel turns, isn't it? As Mike gets one powerup, one of his old ones turns into a problem. In this case, a fairly lethal one. So, in order to stabilize his healing factor, they'd need to convince his bodies purification that the chip is actually a part of his body, which will be harder since the elemental is better ingratiated with his soul now. Or, to remove the chip, he needs to magically upgrade Doc's tools so that Doc can actually cut into him and remove it._

 _Other than that, I don't have much to say. If all went well, this chapter went up the week it was supposed too. Hope you guys liked the previous chapter, this is my first real attempt at setting up a backlog so that I have an easier time of getting one chapter out a week while I'm working on multiple projects. Thank you all for bearing with me in knowing that I likely have more chapters ready to post, but I'm making you wait to keep my output more consistent._

 _Shout out goes out too our newest patron;_ ladiciusevol! _Your support is deeply appreciated._

 _Shout out goes out too_ Melden V, Anders Kronquist, Ray Tony Song, makopaulo, Volkogluk, Aaron Bjornson, iolande, Martin Auguado, Julio, Jiopaba, Hackerham, Tim Collins-Squire, Maben00, Sultan Saltlick, PostLifeSyndrome, DarthBane, Ventari _and_ PbookR. _Thank you so much for your continued support, you're helping me out a lot._

 _Until the next time!_

 _~Fulcon_


	19. Chapter 19: Sparks

_The following is a fanbased work of fiction._ _Young Justice is property of DC Comics, Warner Brothers and Greg Weisman – please support the official release._

* * *

" _Can't we just turn it off?_ "

Mike couldn't remember the last time he had a migraine this bad.

"We tried last night!" Was Doc's response.

Then again, that might have been because he'd never had a migraine this bad; it was caused by a haywire chip convinced that his brain was attacking itself and was desperately trying to stab the attacker so it would stop attacking.

At least, that's what he thought was happening, Doc's explanation got muddled through the bleary haze that had settled over his head.

The silver lining was that he couldn't taste the mana potion he was drinking to upgrade Doc's tools; which was also tainted by the fact that this was the potion he was supposed to be drinking when he was building his shape-shifting magical armor.

 _Can't be helped_ , Mike thought, falling on his butt after his finished incantation buffered Doc's tools. "That's the last one, right?"

"Yeah, that's the last one," Doc said. "Get on the table. Now!"

"Do I have enough potion to grow my hair back?" Mike asked, his speech slurred slightly as he pulled himself onto Doc's medical table with serious effort.

"Your brain's melting and you're worried about your hair," Doc replied, nonplussed.

"Yes, he has enough potion," Adjutant replied. "Mike, just push through it."

"Got it," Mike whispered hoarsely.

Suddenly, Mike felt rubber clamps grabbing his wrists and pulling him in the rest of the way into Doc's pill.

"Alright, just take it easy. I'll take it from here," Doc said, pulling Mike into position and sliding a needle into his arm. "Just don't…"

Mike lost consciousness.

* * *

"Alright, Batman," Zatara said, leaning his cane against the table and sitting down. "What did you want to talk to me about?"

Both men were sitting in the Watchtower at one of the cafeteria tables placed against a window that gave a spectacular view of Earth below. The Sun was behind the globe, allowing the stars to shine through the black curtain of space. Zatara placed a mug of coffee in front of him, still steaming in spite of the amount of cream he had poured inside.

"I wanted to talk about your daughter joining the Junior League," Batman answered directly, his mug of black coffee already half-drained.

Zatara froze for a solid second before picking up his cane and starting to sit up.

"Hear me out, Giovanni," Batman requested without moving.

Zatara stopped again, and sat back down with a sigh. "Alright, Batman. I'm listening."

Batman took a moment to make sure that Zatara was seated completely before he started. "Giovanni, as her father, you have done your absolute best to protect your daughter from the people who would harm her. It's worked very well. So far."

"Are you suggesting that I cannot protect my daughter?" Zatara asked. His eyes narrowed and took a sip of his coffee.

"No, I'm giving credit where credit is due. You've done a good job," Batman replied, leaning in slightly. "But I'm also asking you to consider what happens when she becomes an adult."

Zatara drummed his fingers on the mug of coffee in trepidation.

"When she turns eighteen, she'll be an adult, and you will no longer be able to keep her away from the super hero life," Batman stoically explained, carefully constructing his arguments to ensure the greatest chance of success. "If nothing else, she will inherit your enemies who will happily go after her to get at you."

"I am aware of that, Batman," Zatara replied with a frown. "That is why I am teaching Zatanna magic now so that she'll be prepared to take them on when she is an adult. If she wants to combat the forces of evil when she turns of age, that is up to her."

Batman started to reply, but Zatara held up his hand.

"And before you talk about the need for combat training, I've given her that too," Zatara continued. "My daughter can function in chaotic situations, I've seen to that personally."

"I believe that she is perfectly capable of handling herself in the event of an unfortunate situation," Batman said with an affirming nod. "But it takes more than that to function as someone with power and enemies in the world; since she has no secret identity, she needs connections. Connections beyond you: she needs friends."

"And you think the Junior League is the way to do that?" Zatara asked incredulously. "I want my daughter to be _safe_ , not up to her shoulders in whatever catastrophe those miscreants call a mission!"

It was a valid point, Batman knew. "You and I are well aware of the reorganization we are giving the Junior league. They will have a proper command structure, better instruction in mission protocol and more safeguards. Your daughter _will_ be safe."

"That does not change that they will be in dangerous situations to begin with," Zatara replied, pointing at the caped crusader with a scowl. "You forget that I was there at the Tower of Fate. You saw what Klarion did to poor Kent's body in when he was locked out of the tower. I don't want her anywhere near that!"

"I did not forget and I did see," Batman replied, memories of the old man's maimed and disfigured body briefly coming to mind before being shoved aside to focus on the issue at hand. "Eventually, she will see them too, if she hadn't stumbled upon it on the internet already. My point is that it would be easier for her to form connections and learn to work with a team if she started now instead of as an adult."

"I don't want this life for her, Batman," Zatara said with the shake of his head. "I didn't even really want it, myself. You know I stumbled into it on accident."

"A stage fire," Batman recalled with a slow nod, sipping his black coffee.

"It just carried on from there," Zatara said quietly, taking his mug in both hands and sipping the coffee. "It only took me a month before Crowbar and I came to blows…I don't want her to have a life of constantly being wary that a supervillain is going to shoot up one of her shows or wait for her at home."

"So, you're doing your best to delay it as best you can," Batman pointed out, placing his mug down. It was nearly empty.

"Yes, delay," Zatara shook his head. "I'm hoping that by keeping my Daughter out of the spotlight, our villains won't notice her in their fervor to kill me."

"That is too much to hope for," Batman argued bluntly.

"I know that!" Zatara barked angrily. "I know! I just can't bare the thought of her in danger. After I lost my wife…"

Batman waited for Zatara to find words, knowing that interjecting while he was thinking this through would only do more harm than good.

"I promised Sindella that I'd never let anything happen to her," Zatara said quietly. "And I won't."

"Giovanni, I don't want your daughter to suffer any harm either," Batman replied. "That's why I want to make her so dangerous that no one would even consider trying to harm her."

"That is too much to hope for," Zatara retorted, eyes narrowing.

"I know," Batman replied. "But even with you there, it would be better if she had teammates to call on if she fell into trouble. Does she want to become a superhero?"

"She _thinks_ she does," Zatara replied with irritation. "She only sees what the layman sees, all the glory and recognition. She thinks she can avenge her mother, maybe, which isn't helping."

"Sounds like Robin," Batman said, sipping the last of his coffee. "He thinks he wants to be me. He doesn't, but he thinks he does."

"Well, of course he does," Zatara replied, a smirk growing on his lips. "You're Batman, the idol teenage of boys everywhere."

"And that is everything that is wrong with teenage boys everywhere," Batman pointed out flatly. "But if your daughter wants to be a hero, wouldn't it be better for her to learn the harsh realities while she's still in training, still capable of rethinking her life instead of being an adult, when it is too late?"

"Maybe it would." Zatara shrugged. "But what if the worst happened in the first mission?"

"What would you say if you were one of their mission supervisors?" Batman asked. "You would be working alongside Tornado and myself."

"That." Zatara sighed. "I'd like that."

"But only if Zatanna joins the team," Batman clarified.

"We'll go for a trial run," Zatara explained. "Three missions. If any of them go wrong or if Zatanna is injured on any of them, she's off the team."

"That's fair," Batman replied with a nod.

"Now answer me this," Zatara started before finishing his coffee. "Why do you want her on the Junior League so bad?"

"They need more magical experts," Batman replied, his brain hurriedly keeping concerns of Klarion the Witchboy out of his mouth. "Until Tempest, Aquagirl and Diana's protege signed on, Aqualad and Pyro were the only authorities on magic and both of their education is subpar for a variety of reasons. Wally didn't even believe in magic until Barry spoke with him about it a few weeks ago."

"That's as good a reason as any," Zatara sighed, standing up. "Batman, do you know when the vote on whether to allow Doctor Fate into the Justice League will be held? I forgot to mark it down in my phone."

"On the tenth," Batman replied. "I do not expect such a vote to pass until another host for Nabu is found."

"Right," Zatara nodded. "Allowing Pyroclasm to technically sit as a member of both League's would be highly inappropriate."

* * *

Themyscera was an epitome of natural beauty, as was intended by the gods.

The grass was always green, the trees wafted in the gentle sea breeze. Marvelous structures of Greek Architecture painted a timeless and classical picture of beauty.

Out on the grass training yards, the Amazon's would train in all manner of weapons and techniques and it was on one such training yard that Diana of the Amazon's was sparring. Her opponent jumped in for a tackle and Diana twisted, pulling one of the arms over her shoulder and throwing her to the ground, making a crater.

"You have improved," Diana said encouragingly, offering a hand.

"Thank you, Diana," Donna Troy was Wonder Woman's protégé, wearing the leather armor of the Amazons. She took the hand and stood up. "I confess I'm a little nervous about tomorrow."

"Don't be," Diana replied, pulling Donna to her feet. "You will be fine."

"It will be my first time out in man's world," Donna said, shaking her head. "And I will be out there for a long time. Are you sure I'm ready?"

"Yes, I am sure," Diana reassured with a nod. "You are more than ready and man's world needs you. The _team_ needs you."

"Thank you," Donna said, shaking her head.

"Come," Diana beckoned her protégé to follow. "Our training for the day is done. Walk with me."

The two women walked away from the training ground, leaving the sounds of clashing blades and shields behind them.

They walked up the stone steps from the training ground to Themyscera proper. The stone architecture often gave Donna peace, being a direct symbol of Olympus's blessing upon the Amazons. Now, more than ever, the Amazons were the gods favored daughters and the reminder brought a smile to Donna's face.

"The team itself if young and their tutelage has been made more intensive," Diana explained. "You will learn much from my comrades in arms within the Justice League and you in turn will teach your comrades in arms the ways the gods have taught us to live."

"That burden is what worries me," Donna replied, shaking her head. "How am I to teach them?"

"Through example first," Diana replied with a smile. "Then by words if you are asked."

"Ah, so no uninvited sermons," Donna nodded. "I understand. But as Amazons, we are sworn to the ways of truth and justice. Yet while I am there, I am not to kill those who do wrongly?"

"That is right," Diana said. "In most places, the world of man assures the right to a fair and speedy trial to protect the innocent from hasty and mistaken zeal to avenge wrongdoing. Save for grave circumstances, you are to abide by this code of conduct."

"I understand," Donna replied. "It just seems like a tool used by evil to escape justice more often than not."

"This is true," Diana agreed with a sigh. "That is what we are trying to change with our voice in their United Nations. We must always use the peaceful option until no other recourse is afforded us."

"Yes, I know," Donna answered with a frown. "It just feels like nothing over there is truly changing. Our Queen speaks, and speaks, and speaks yet they do not listen."

"They listen," Diana gently argued. "They do. Those that do evil, that follow the call of Ares, fear my mother's words. Those that don't are often constrained by promises and treaties that they need to gain the strength to break."

"We just need to make our voice louder?" Donna asked. "To rally them?"

"We just need to make our voice louder," Diana nodded. "Exactly right."

"Alright," Donna took a breath. "I think I'm ready. Who will be our leader?"

"Kaldur'ahm, the Atlantean known as Aqualad," Diana answered. "I do not know who his second in command will be."

"Hopefully, it will be a woman," Donna said with a smile.

"No, no, no," Diana rebuked. "Hopefully, it is the best person suited for helping him lead, which could be a man or a woman."

"Y-yes, Princess Diana," Donna bowed her head. "You are right, I am sorry. I did not mean to offend you."

"You did not offend me, Donna," Diana replied gently. "But if we indulge in judging men harshly simply because they are men, we will quickly find ourselves sinking down to the level of the lowest they have to offer, instead of holding ourselves to the true way of the Amazons of which there are men who uphold flawlessly. Do you understand?"

"Yes, Princess," Donna replied.

They continued to walk, finding themselves in the Library of Athena, where all the knowledge of the Amazons was stored in scrolls and books, some of them older than Zeus himself.

"So why now?" Donna asked, her brow furrowing. "You've told me of this team before, in passing, but you said it wasn't time for me to join. What changed?"

"The Justice League has reorganized them," Diana explained. "With a clearer goal and a better idea of how to accomplish their designs, I felt it time to introduce you too them."

"Princess, we've spent the past few weeks training for my membership in the team," Donna began. "I haven't had the chance to ask who I will be fighting alongside. We've spoken of Aqualad, but what about the others?"

"So far, the team looks to be eleven strong," Diana answered, pulling a scroll from her own belt. "This scroll will help me tell you of them. Before we proceed, though, what name will you call yourself when you are in armor?"

Donna took a breath. "I will go by Troia, Princess."

"A good name. Now," Diana began, sitting at a table and unfurling the scroll. Painted on the scroll were the likenesses of young men and women, painted and enchanted. Diana pointed to the first one. "This is Aqualad, who we were just discussing…"

* * *

"Hi, Rachel!"

Rachel Roth looked up from her book with a disinterested frown. "Hello, Billy."

The ten-year-old little sweetheart and nuisance in her life was dressed in his customary red jacket and bore his usual, happy grin. Unusually, he was accompanied by someone closer to her own age, tall and muscle bound. His icy blue eyes would've betrayed his discomfort if she couldn't already sense it like the glowing beacon it was to her.

"This is Conner," Billy introduced his friend brightly.

"Nice to meet you, Conner," Rachel greeted as was customary.

The café, except for the three of them and the barista at the bar, was empty. Rachel had chosen a window seat where she could alternate between reading her book and watching passerby's going about their daily lives, walking, talking, laughing, eating. The effect of watching people was soothing.

Until one of them came up and started talking to her. Didn't happen often, usually it was a boy intrigued by her reserved nature. Billy Batson, however, was her most frequent bother, trying to intrude in her meditations and alone time with that incessant cheerfulness of his.

Almost imperceptivity, Conner shifted in discomfort. "Nice to meet you too."

"Mind if we sit down?" Billy asked.

"If you must," Rachel replied, closing the small black book she was reading out of and placing it inside her leather jacket's pocket.

"Thanks," Billy said, hopping up into the café chair with a grin. Conner followed suit, his eyes landing on the small gem centered between her eyes like so many did when they first met her. "What was that book you were reading?"

"My journal," Rachel answered. "It helps me remember my life."

"Neat!" Billy beamed.

They were quiet for a few seconds.

"Can I help you with something, Billy?" Rachel asked with a small frown.

"Actually, yes!" Billy said. "You know that group I told you about?"

She did. Captain Marvel was rather excited to have a team of super heroes that were closer to his actual age. He had talked about it to her for twenty straight minutes while she patiently listened to the subject that had worked her…guest into a happy frenzy. "Yes. What about it?"

"I got told I could invite someone," Billy replied, still smiling happily. "So, I'd like you to join."

"No."

Conner looked confused. "Why not?"

"I don't like fighting," Rachel answered with an apathetic expression. "Groups like yours like to fight. If I joined your group, I'd be fighting. No."

"Come on, it'd be good for you," Billy said in disappointment. "You'd be around other people, get some friends."

"I have friends," Rachel pointed out. "Their names are me, myself, and I."

"I don't think those count," Conner said with a blink and a grumpy frown.

"Well, there's also mì mismo, fy hun, itse…" Rachel trailed off, noting Conner's increased irritation.

"What about me?" Billy asked with a frown. "Aren't I your friend?"

"Sure, Billy," Rachel replied. Upon seeing the child's frown worsen, she sighed. "Why do you even want me to join, anyway?"

"Because you need friends and other people to talk with that, you know," Billy said, waving his hand in a wishy-washy gesture. "In the know. It'd be awesome, they'd love you."

Rachel's frown deepened. "That's not what I asked."

"Huh?" Billy asked with a confused expression. Then it switched to one of comprehension. "Oh. _Oh_. Right, uh, well…we're kind of lacking in healers."

Rachel reached for her Styrofoam cup of coffee and took a sip. "That's what I thought. Billy, you know why I don't like being a medic, right?"

"…yeah," Billy slowly said. "But I also know that you've been wishing to do more than just go to Highschool and then come to the café before going home to meditate."

"How exactly did you meet her?" Conner asked with a raised eyebrow.

"The Ice King managed to give me serious frost-bite," Billy explained, rolling up the sleeve of his red jacket to show his arm. "This whole thing was like black and she came out and fixed me up in the middle of a blizzard. So, I make sure to come say hi when I can."

"Wasn't. Pleasant," Rachel replied, taking another sip of coffee, the very memory of feeling like her arm was dying right off sending a cold shiver down her spine.

Conner grunted. "Sounds like Billy had a hard time. What about you?"

"I feel what the person I'm healing feels," Rachel explained with narrowed eyes.

Conner leaned back in his seat, analyzing the girl in front of him, her dark hair cut in a bob, her violet eyes looking disinterested as they shifted between himself and his mentor. "I didn't know that."

Rachel shrugged. "Of course, you didn't."

"I know it's a big thing to ask you," Billy began with a frown. "But they really need you. They've already had a couple of close calls, I don't want to think about what we'll do if something actually bad happens."

"What kind of close call?" Rachel asked with interest.

Billy leaned in closely, his eyes on the barista behind the counter. "One of them got stabbed through the lung. The only reason he's alive right now is because he's got a healing factor."

"That is a close call," Rachel replied, matching the volume.

"So," Conner started, leaning forward. "Why don't you like fighting?"

"I was raised by pacifist monks," Rachel replied. "I don't like fighting. At all."

Conner slowly blinked, once, twice. Rachel felt like he was having trouble processing the idea of 'pacifist' as it went against a very core tenet of his being. There also was something…like a hole. Like a splinter had recently been removed and the wound hadn't finished healing yet. "Now, can I ask you a question?"

"Sure?" Conner replied, looking a little surprised.

"Did you have something in your mind removed?" Rachel asked, her eyebrow raising.

Conner grunted and leaned back. "Yeah."

"It was a trigger phrase," Billy filled in, to Conner's angry and surprised expression.

"You were a sleeper agent?" Rachel asked, closing her eyes and opening them again.

Conner's hands curled into trembling fists. "I don't want to talk about it."

"That's fine," Rachel replied with a shrug, tempted to release a wave of calm to dissipate the tension, but sensing the dislike of mental manipulation just in time to not do that.

"So, can you at least think about it?" Billy asked with a frown. "We'll get you a real room so you don't have to lug all your stuff everywhere or worry about your cloak getting stolen _and_ more if we can get it for you. Please?"

Conner blinked in confusion.

"I carry everything I own in a pocket dimension housed in my cloak," Rachel supplied, sounding resigned. "And Billy, as much as you think I need friends, I don't want them. It's already risky enough talking to you."

Billy let out a breath. "Well, fine. But when push comes to shove, and you know what I'm talking about, you're going to need help."

"Fighting that is hopeless," Rachel said softly.

"That's not true," Billy said.

After a moment of silence, Conner grunted. "Look, I don't know what you're talking about, but no one's unbeatable. So, acting like…whatever it is that you're talking about is like the coming of the apocalypse doesn't help anyone."

Rachel glowered down at Billy, then she smirked at Conner. "You really believe that?"

"I _know_ it," Conner emphasized with a serious expression.

Rachel thought about it for a moment. "Somehow, you actually sound convincing. Alright, Billy. I'm in."

"Really?" Billy's face lit up like a Christmas tree.

Rachel let out a deep sigh. "Yes. Really. I'm in."

"Great!" Billy said, taking a piece of paper and a pen out from his jacket. "Let's get your costume designed right away!"

"I already have a costume," Rachel shook her head. "It's fine."

"Well, okay," Billy said, looking more than a little disappointed. "You at least have a name I can give?"

"Raven."

* * *

"Alright, the operation is a success!" Doc crowed happily. "Thank whatever gods are out there for your healing factor, we pulled you back!"

"How bad was it?" Mike asked, his throat dry and scratchy.

"Uh…" Doc actually sounded like he didn't want to answer that question. "I learned a lot about brain injury?"

"You know what? Forget I asked," Mike said, sitting up as the capsule opened to let him out. "I need water."

Mike ran his hands over his head and sighed. Just like last time they had to do skull surgery, Doc had shaved his head and he hated being bald. His hair was just to pretty to waste, in his opinion. At least the scars from this latest surgery were fading quickly, the burnt and dead flesh being renewed far quicker than was normal for him.

"Yes, you need water," Doc agreed rapidly. "Yup, go get hydrated."

"Are my parent's home?" Mike asked.

"No. Your mother is out shopping," Adjutant replied, sounding extra relieved as well. "ETA three hours. Get some water."

Mike exited his room and walked around to the bathroom. In the mirror, he could see the cuts that Doc had made on his skull like someone had pounded still-burning coal under his skin. They were glowing and steaming, steadily growing smaller. He grabbed a small paper cup from the counter and filled it with tap water, downing it in one gulp and then repeated this four more times before he felt hydrated enough to function.

When he walked back into the room, Jaina started talking.

"So, I did some calculations on the magic potion. If you're willing to let your hair be shorter than normal, we could actually make the replacement chip out of the Sympathetic magic we were talking about," Jaina said. "It'll be long enough to hide the scars, but your parents will notice you gave yourself a haircut."

"I can just tell them that I wanted to see if the helmet was easier to wear with shorter hair," Mike replied with a shrug, grabbing the plans for the _Avatar_ project from the drawer in his desk. "Besides, the next batch of potion will be ready in a week, I can be patient."

"Okay good," Jaina said. "I'm ready to see how this works out."

"So am I," Mike said, grabbing the rubber bouncy-ball sitting in a bowl on his desk in front of Jaina's monitor. "Be back in an hour or two."

With that, Mike exited his room and bounded down the stairs. Then he turned and went down to the basement. The boxes that covered his circle used to weigh a great deal – now they weighed as much as a feather for all it mattered as he gently shoved them aside.

He grabbed the water bottle full of potion and bag of chalk and got started drawing the ritual array, all while muttering to himself. "…first the Burn, then the Red, then the Melt, then the Divide, then the White. First the Burn, then the…"

With the circle finished, Mike crushed the large stick of chalk had had been using and poured the pile into the center and placed the bouncy ball in the pile. Satisfied that it wasn't going to roll away while he was chanting, he took a swill of the magic potion.

"Meerkaaaaateeeeeelsssssssssspahhhh…" He intoned, feeling the mana exit his body and freely mesh with the circle. He deliberately kept the Order Magic inside his fire at bay while he did this ritual.

Mike could feel the pounding of the Red like a herd of great beasts stampeding through the magic as he pulled on it's ability to change shape and form. The echoes of falling rocks and rising mountains came from the Melt, filled with ore and gems and the promises of strength and perseverance. The knowledge of each individual cell that made up his body, and the civilizations that existed within every person came from the divide.

From each of these elemental planes came a power, a mix of abilities not taken, but copied and impressed on this tiny, insignificant rubber ball.

 _You will move and change into all kinds of metal or rock, dividing and assembling as I see fit._

After an hour and a half, the ritual was done. The chalk had dissipated, leaving only a faint outline and the ball which sat perfectly still on the flat concrete floor.

Mike reached forward to pick it up and it easily leapt into his hand. He could feel it, magically bound to him through the ritual and ready to follow instructions. It had no will, but that was alright, it didn't need one.

It became solid metal. Then it was liquid, falling through his fingers. Then it was a gas, gently rising up from the concrete like a ring of smoke. Then it was a ball again, rapidly condensing into his hand. It became a gold star, then a small, lead brick. A speck of tungsten, a ball of iron filled with graphene wires.

"Alright. Let's get you implanted," Mike muttered as he slowly walked up the steps, raising a hand to go through his hair and feeling annoyed when all that met him was bald scalp. "Wish I had more potion."

When he pushed open the door, he held the ball in front of him. "It works."

"Alright, now make it a USB stick so I can tell it what to do," Vulcan said, taking his sunglasses off. "Like we talked about?"

"Right, right," Mike said tiredly, sitting in his chair. With a few mental instructions, the ball shifted to a USB stick and he plugged it into his computer.

Vulcan hummed, his eyes narrowing as a blue screen shined on his face. "Good job, it's listening to instructions."

"It better, that's what I want it to do," Mike replied.

"So, can you feel a connection between you and the ball?" Jaina asked.

"Yes, I can," Mike nodded.

"Okay, good. We can avoid any more mishaps like this," Jaina replied. "Can't believe this took us by surprise."

"Well, it's not like we could've prepared for my soul getting reorganized," Mike pointed out with a shrug. "It was a spur of the moment type of thing."

"What about it's ability to split apart?" Doc asked.

"It can become liquid, gaseous," Mike reported with a satisfied nod.

"Really? Okay, then. We might not need to do another surgery," Doc replied. "We could just have it absorb itself inside of you through your pores."

"How long with that take?" Mike asked with interest.

"About an hour," Doc replied.

"Let's try it," Mike said.

"Be careful, we don't want to cause Mike _more_ pain," Jaina said with a frown.

"Pain is weakness leaving the body," Mike replied sardonically.

"Fitting, given your newfound strength," Vulcan replied. "Doc, you mind showing me what you need this thing to do to get in through his skin?"

"You got it," Doc said, moving over from his monitor to Vulcan's. "So, it needs to do that, then that, then that and…that…alright, we're good to go."

"Good, now get out of my monitor," Vulcan said.

"How can you work in that thing?" Doc asked in disbelief as he slid back into his clean hospital room. "It wreaks of oil! And smoke! It's bad!"

"I smoke and work with machines," Vulcan replied, looking completely unimpressed. "What did you expect?"

"Guys, guys. Focus," Mike said, wanting to put the arguments their personalities wanted to engage in on hold. "Can this thing get to my brain through my skin."

"Almost," Vulcan said. "Now it can. Just take it out and place the ball on your scalp. It'll take care of the rest."

Mike took the USB stick out of its port and it morphed into a ball. He could sense the new instructions that had been written into it still stored there, held because it knew Mike needed them there. He placed the ball on the top of his head and shivered as he felt the cool metal melt into water on top of his head.

"Alright," Mike let out a breath, feeling the tingling on his head as the metal worked its way inside his body. "That feels weird."

"Just give it time," Doc said. "When it reached your brain, it'll form a protective film on the inside of your skull."

"So, did you guys make any upgrades?" Mike asked with interest.

"Oh, _yes_ ," Doc replied, sounding as excited as a mad scientist could be. "You know the Thinking Cap?"

"So, I get telekinesis now," Mike asked with a widening smile.

"Best part is when we're ready to upgrade, we can just send a signal to it with the new blueprints and it'll just switch automatically," Vulcan replied, also smiling and popping a cigar in his mouth. "No additional surgery required."

"That's a relief," Mike said, touching the splat on his skull and noting that it was getting thinner. "So, what do we call this Sympathetic Material?"

"SymMetal," Jaina suggested.

Mike hummed. "No."

"Michaelanium," Jaina made another suggestion.

Mike laughed, grabbing his water bottle filled with potion. "We're going to keep trying, but that is a good backup."

"Shiftium," Vulcan supplied.

"Nah."

"I got it, I got it," Doc said. "How about Morphing Ore?"

"I like that one." Mike nodded. "For like a layman's name. But we need something scientific."

"Oh, so Circium," Doc replied. "After Circe and her inexplicable desire to turn men into animals."

"And possibly draw the attention of Circe herself?" Jaina asked with confusion.

"Good point," Doc replied, sounding disappointed.

"How about Morphium?" Jaina asked.

"Sounds too much like a Morphine derivative," Doc objected.

"Perhaps we should name it after a practice famous for trying to turn one metal into another," Adjutant suggested helpfully. "I suggest Alchemium as the name."

"After Alchemy?" Mike asked.

Adjutant nodded.

"I like it," Mike answered with a shrug. "Everyone else?"

The AI's slowly started to nod their heads, muttering their agreement.

"Great," Mike said, feeling his head as the tingling feeling of the Alchemium Ball dissolving into his skin left. He could feel it in his skull, trying to make its way around the bone. "Now, I'm going to regrow my hair before I head off to the Tower of Fate so I can explain to Kent and Nabu why I'm late today."

* * *

 _Authors Note: I told some of you that I was going to have the next chapter done tomorrow. Well, my plans changed as my Muse suddenly started cooperating. At first, some of the trouble was that I was needing an extra male to bring the male-to-female ratio of the team to 1:1. However, after a recount, I saw that bringing another man would actually leave use with two ladies short. So what was Kilowatt or Golden Hawk became Raven and while I'm a little leery of making my fic resemble a Teen Titans fic more than a Young Justice one, I think the differences are stark enough that I can slide by the danger spots unscathed._

 _Shout out goes out too_ ladiciusevol, _our newest member in the circle of patrons! Thank you so much for your support!_

 _Shout out also goes out too_ Melden V, Anders Kronquist, Ray Tony Song, makopaulo, Volkogluk, Aaron Bjornson, iolande, Martin Auguado, Julio, Jiopaba, Hackerham, Tim Collins-Squire, Maben00, Sultan Saltlick, PostLifeSyndrome, Ventari _and_ PbookR. _Thank you for your continued support._

 _Until the next time!_

 _~Fulcon_


	20. Chapter 20: Reignition

_The following is a fanbased work of fiction. Young Justice is property of DC Comics, Warner Brothers and Greg Weisman – please support the official release._

* * *

"Recognized: Batman: 02, Robin: B01."

The Zeta Tubes within Mount Justice activated, allowing the Dynamic Duo inside.

"Go update the Caves cyber security measures," Batman ordered. "I will bring the caves reactor back online."

"You got it," Robin said, walking off toward the nearest terminal, activating his wrist computer. "Think I can introduce myself to our house-sitters or no?"

"They are under strict orders to keep contact limited," Batman answered. "It's unlikely they will answer. Adjutant might introduce herself if she sees a problem with the security measures."

Robin hummed, jacking his wrist computer into the terminal. "What kind of name is Adjutant, anyway?"

"A functional one," Batman answered before disappearing into the cave's reactor systems.

Robin repeated the answer to himself in a quiet mutter as he patched the security system. Once it was done and it had gone off without a hitch, Robin moved to disconnect his wrist-computer, only for a message to appear in the corner of the terminal screen.

"This will suffice." It read, signed 'Adjutant'.

Robin quickly typed a reply. "Are you allowed to talk?"

"No," was the reply.

"Why not?" Robin asked.

No answer came. With a grunt of frustration, Robin pulled the jack out.

The sudden sound of electrical humming accompanied all the lights flashing on signaled that Batman had finished. Soon after, Batman walked back into the training room.

"You were right," Robin said. "They're not allowed to talk. Adjutant said the security updates would be fine, though."

Batman hummed. "Did she say anything else?"

"Besides telling me she wasn't allowed to talk, no," Robin shook his head. "That's annoying."

"There's a chance that will change and Pyro will allow them to interact with the team as a whole," Batman replied. "Depending on what he learned underneath Dr. Fate's tutelage."

"I hope so," Robin said whistfully. "I mean, it's an AI. One that's not trying to destroy everything thanks to a software malfunction. It's just such an aster that I just can't _wait_."

"It'll happen," Batman replied non-commitally. "Just be patient."

"Recognized: Aqualad: B02, Tempest: B09, Aquagirl: B10."

The Zeta Tube flashed and out marched three people all around the same age walking in. Aqualad looked happier than Robin had ever seen him, and he recognized both Tula and Garth from Batman's files, both of them having that nervous excitement that seemed to accompany new heroes whenever they got invited into a team.

"Welcome to the cave," Aqualad said, spreading his arms to show the training room. "This is Batman and Robin, the Dynamic Duo from Gotham."

"It's good to meet you," Garth offered out his hand with a smile.

"Welcome to Mount Justice," Batman returned formally, shaking the hand. "Aqualad tells me that you'll be a valuable addition to the team. I'm eager to see you in action."

"Nice to meet you," Robin shook Tula's hand, then Garth's with a friendly smile. He pointed down one of the tunnels that had been dug. "Rooms are down that hall, just look for your name and you can settle in."

"Thank you," Tula said with a nod.

"Has Pyroclasm arrived yet?" Aqualad asked. "I need to speak with him about something important."

"No, we're the first ones in," Robin shook his head. "Knowing him, though, he'll be the last one here."

"Recognized: Pyroclasm: B08."

"Never mind," Robin said with some amusement.

In walked Pyroclasm in full costume, the visor on his helmet blocking any vision onto his face. In the crook of his arm, he carried the helmet of fate which looked like it had been freshly polished and taken care of. "Robin, Aqualad. Batman. Good to see you all. Who are they?"

"This is Aquagirl and Tempest," Aqualad gestured to his friends. "They are my long-time friends who I invited to join the team. Aquagirl and Tempest, this is Pyroclasm; the one I told you about."

"Oh," Tula replied, slowly extending a hand in greeting. "Nice to meet you."

"Yes, it is," Garth also put his hand forward, his eyes narrowed

"Is that my reputation preceding me?" Pyro asked with a chuckle, taking Tula's, then Garth's hands to give a first shake. "Nice to meet you both. You guys need help getting settled in?"

"No, we just need to put down our luggage," Garth said, jostling the bag he had slung over his shoulder. "And then to know where the pool is."

"Well, the rooms are down that corridor," Pyro pointed down the same tunnel Robin had done. "And the Hanger, which has the pool, is through there, down some stairs on the right."

"Thank you," Tula said with a friendly smile.

"You two should go on ahead," Aqualad replied. "Pyro, I need to speak to you in private."

"What about?" Pyro asked with interest.

"I'll explain," Aqualad answered.

"Anyone else invited to this little chat?" Pyro asked.

"Just Batman," Aqualad replied.

"Alright," Pyro agreed nonchalantly. "Lead the way."

"Robin, stay here and direct any other new arrivals," Batman ordered and the three set off to the conference room.

Garth and Tula, with a shrug, walked down the corridor to the caves Barracks and Robin was stuck there. He sighed and started muttering about how he didn't get to go to the important meeting.

"Recognized: Green Arrow: 08, Artemis: B07."

The two archers walked into the training room, Artemis still laughing at some joke Green Arrow told before they warped in. "Hey, Robin. Is Pyro here?"

"Yeah, your boyfriend's having a private chat with Batman and Aqualad," Robin replied grumpily.

"He's not my boyfriend," Artemis said, uncomfortably shifting her gaze to the side while her cheeks went a little pink.

"He's just mad about something," Green Arrow replied. "Don't take it personally. What's wrong, buddy?"

"I wasn't invited to the meeting," Robin replied, sulking.

"Ah, cheer up," Green Arrow said. "Batman's probably going to tell you everything once the meetings over, right?"

"I guess," Robin shrugged.

"Recognized: Captain Marvel: 15, Superboy: B04, Raven: B13."

"Hey, Captain!" Green Arrow greeted with a wave.

"Arrow, good to see you," Captain Marvel replied, a giant smile on his face.

"Likewise," Green Arrow nodded. He gestured to the girl with a dark purple cloak that was floating behind the two strongmen. "Who's this?"

"This is Raven, the newest member of the team," Captain Marvel introduced her and she floated ahead. "Invited her yesterday."

"I'm Artemis."

"Robin."

"Charmed."

"So, what's your power?" Robin asked.

"Shadow magic and some other tricks," Raven replied noncommittally.

"Shadow magic, purple lipstick, heavy eye-shadow and a cloak," Artemis began, hands on her hips. "Could you be any more goth?"

"I could get a nose ring," Raven suggested, her voice a bored monotone.

"Isn't that more of a punk thing?" Artemis asked.

"The two tend to overlap," Raven answered.

"Are you being this literal on purpose?" Robin asked.

"Yes."

Artemis and Robin laughed, and Raven gave just the smallest of smiles.

"You're going to be great," Robin said, still smiling. "You need a room here in the cave?"

"That was one of the perks I was offered," Raven answered.

"Rooms are down that corridor," Robin helpfully pointed. "Your room has your name on it."

"Thank you," Raven nodded and floated off, her cloak ruffling in the air.

Out of that self-same hall, Garth and Tula emerged, passing Raven as they went.

"The pool is down there, right?" Tula asked, pointing down the same corridor which Pyro had directed them too.

"Yeah, down there and to the right," Robin replied. "You can't miss the stairs."

"Thank you," Tula offered with a grateful smile as she and her boyfriend made their way to the hangar.

"So M'Gann's not here yet?" Conner asked, frowning.

"Nah, she hasn't shown up, yet," Robin shook his head.

Conner grunted in disappointment. "I'm off to the lounge, if she comes in, she'll probably want to bake some cookies."

* * *

"You're crazy."

Coming from Pyro, those words were filthy rich, and all three of them knew it.

"But am I wrong?" Aqualad asked with consternation. "Are you not the same person who came up with an almost foolproof plan to protect Dr. Roquette from the League of Shadows? Are you not the one who helped coordinate the rescue of Kent Nelson to buy us time at the Tower of Fate?"

"So, I came up with a few good plans," Pyro waved off nonchalantly. "What's the big deal? Anyone can do that."

"No," Batman intoned. "They can't."

* * *

"Recognized: Wonder Woman, 03. Troia, B11."

Wonder Woman looked around the cave of Mount Justice with nostalgia. It had been years since she had walked the halls of their underground bastion. Not since the Joker attack. It was looking well, the lights were on and she could feel the activity of the halls like a current of electricity.

In front of her, clad in armor blessed by Artemis herself that shined like the night-sky, was Troia, who was still clearly nervous even as she tried to hide it. _It will subside with time_.

Ahead of them was Robin and Superboy, standing with Green Arrow and Captain Marvel. "Greetings!"

"Hey, Diana," Captain Marvel said. "This must be Troia!"

"Donna, this is Captain Marvel," Wonder Woman introduced with a gesture. "That is Green Arrow and that is Robin and Superboy."

Wonder Woman did not approve of the young man before her being apprenticed at the tender age of nine. It may have been the custom of Sparta to make warriors out of boys, but it was one that had been departed from in the modern age, and with good reason.

Troia stuttered before she returned the greeting. "It is a pleasure to meet you, Captain. Green Arrow, Robin. Superboy."

Wonder Woman noted the look that Troia was giving Captain Marvel a…look, not entirely unlike the ones she had made to Steve Trevor so long ago. Best to head that off, such attempts at a relationship would be looked on very _poorly_ for obvious reasons.

"Donna, why don't you go find your room and unpack," Wonder Woman suggested, gesturing at the sack that Troia had brought slung over her shoulder.

"Rooms are down that way," Robin pointed, with a slight smirk on his face.

Diana wondered what the Boy Wonder was amusing himself with this time, but she supposed that was irrelevant.

"So, what's the story with her?" Green Arrow asked with interest.

"It's a fascinating tale," Wonder Woman began. "I met her nearly-"

"Recognized: Martian Manhunter: 07, Miss Martian: B05."

"Finally," Conner muttered to himself, walking toward the zeta-tube.

In the tube was J'onn and M'Gann, but there were also nearly a dozen boxes and water coolers, laying on the ground.

"Conner!" M'Gann said happily. "It's so good to see you."

"Glad you made it," Conner replied, leaning down to pick up a pair of boxes. "Let me get these for you."

"Oh, you don't need too," M'Gann started, only to stop when it was clear that Conner was getting them anyway. "I mean, you can…wait up!"

She lifted the remaining boxes, and as she passed, Diana saw that they contained sub-sandwiches, chips and…were those Gyros?

It was going to be a good party to celebrate the reformation of the Junior League.

"Recognized, Flash: 04, Kid Flash: B03."

"Alright, we're back in business!" The boisterous Kid Flash zipped into the training room. "Hey, Rob! What's shakin'?"

"KF!" Robin said with delight as they clasped hands and bumped chests. "Good to see you, how've you been?"

"Busy," Kid Flash replied with an exaggerated sigh of exertion. "Did Batman keep you busy too? Because Flash kept me really busy."

"Yes," Robin hissed in response. "Never had time to call you, it was so annoying."

"Hey, Diana. Green Arrow, Manhunter, Captain," The Flash zipped up to them effortlessly. "So, did you get Batman's message?"

"About the little doubt niggling at the back of his skull?" Green Arrow asked. "Yeah, I got it."

"I'm afraid I didn't," Diana replied. "What's it about?"

"We should talk about it later," Captain Marvel said with a nod toward Kid Flash and Robin who were chatting animatedly, but were obviously still listening in.

* * *

"So anyway, this is Adjutant," Pyroclasm said, pointing at the floating picture. "Adjutant, this is Aqualad, team leader."

"Good afternoon, Aqualad," Adjutant greeted serenely.

"Good afternoon," Aqualad returned with a wave. "It is nice to finally meet you."

"I concur," Adjutant replied. "I've been anxious to meet one of the few people Pyro considers a friend."

"Is that so?" Aqualad asked.

"You're one of the few people that don't make me want to pull my hair out," Pyro supplied, utterly deadpan.

"Well, thank you," Aqualad nodded. "Adjutant, I was told that you're in the Caves system?"

"Not the entire cave," Adjutant answered. "There have been servers partitioned for my partners and I inside the mountain, and they have been very nice to use."

"I see," Aqualad said. "Where were you operating before?"

"Small servers inside Pyro's bedroom," Adjutant replied. "Enough for our needs, but just barely. We greatly appreciate the ability to expand."

"And we greatly appreciate the work you've done," Batman replied. "Your work on Mr. Freeze's Cryotech and the Thinking Cap was invaluable."

"It wasn't me, mostly," Adjutant objected modestly. "Those were mostly Vulcan and Doc's doing."

"I," Aqualad began, pausing to search for the right words. "Don't suppose it would be alright to meet the rest of your AI's would it?"

Pyroclasm took a deep breath. "Alright. Fine. I guess it had to happen eventually and it's worked out pretty well so far. Adjutant, if you'd let them know?"

"One moment," Adjutant replied and in an instant, three more screens appeared beside her.

"It's Aqualad!" The blonde woman with a purple hood all but squealed. "I have so many questions to ask you!"

Aqualad blinked in surprise. "Hello."

Adjutant cleared her throat. "It would be proper protocol to wait until we are introduced."

"Sorry," She replied bashfully.

"So that's Jaina, my magical expert," Pyroclasm started to rattle off. "The surgeon is Doc…"

"Hello there!" Doc introduced himself with a wave of his gloved hand.

"And the biker with the righteous hair is Vulcan," Pyro finished off.

"Yo." Vulcan stuck a cigar in his mouth and lit it.

"Okay, can I ask my questions now?" Jaina asked, sounding like she was about to jump out of her seat.

Aqualad looked sort of hesitant. "As long as you do not press about things my King has forbidden to pass on to the surface world, I have no objection."

"Yay!"

"It will have to wait until after my interview with Doc," Batman said, taking a sheet of paper out from his utility belt.

"Ohohohoho, an interview!" Doc chuckled with glee. " _Hit_ _me_."

"Awww…" Jaina pouted.

* * *

Robin was a lot of things right now. He was bored because he was being forced to be the greeter for everyone coming in to make sure everyone arrived and got to where they were going if they needed help. He was disappointed because Pyro was likely introducing his AI to Aqualad he got excluded from the party and he was annoyed; because Kid Flash took off for the kitchen for a quick snack and hadn't come back. The adults that had all arrived were talking about something out of his earshot on the other side of the room, so he couldn't even enjoy the drama that they were discussing about Batman suspecting that there were more potential compromises to the Justice League than just Superboy's trigger phrase.

"Recognized: Zatara: 11, Zatanna: B12."

Of course, usher duty wasn't all bad. In from the zeta tube stood Giovanni and one of the prettiest girls he had ever seen in his life. Long black hair, a coy expression an _amazing_ tuxedo costume with fishnet stockings that made him feel…strange. In a good way.

He'd seen Zatanna's portrait in the Batcave, of course, but it wasn't quite the same seeing her in person.

"Hey there," Robin zipped forward with a grin. "I'm Robin, nice to meet you."

"Nice to meet _you_ ," Zatanna returned the grin with one of her own. "I'm Zatanna."

"Yes," Zatara intoned, stepping to the side of both of them. "Robin, is Batman around?"

"He's talking with Pyro and Aqualad in one of the conference centers," Robin answered with a pointed thumb down the hall.

"I see," Zatara frowned. "Very well, I'll wait for him there. I trust you can show Zatanna around?"

"You got it," Robin said with a grin. _Oh, I'm feeling the aster._ "You wanna see the lounge? We've got a big screen tv the size of a wall."

"Sure," Zatanna replied and the two started walking.

Zatanna's attention was caught by a purple cloak billowing slightly as it floated past her, the hood not letting her see who was inside, but the book held by what was clearly shadow magic didn't sit well with her. "Who is that?"

"That's Raven," Robin answered, still grinning. "She's new, like you."

Zatanna blinked and suppressed her frown. "Okay."

* * *

"…and he was clinically dead for ten seconds," Doc finished his long explanation of what happened when Pyro's chip malfunctioned. "It was not pretty."

Pyro whistled and started chuckling nervously at this new information. "Wow."

Batman's lips were pressed into a fine line. "And you expect no further complications from the replacement?"

"It's not interfering with his healing factor anymore and it can leave his body at a moments notice if something does go wrong," Doc supplied helpfully. "So, no. We don't expect any more complications but we'll keep monitoring it just in case."

"See that you do," Batman replied. "What facilities do you possess that allow you to perform your surgeries?"

"Uh…" Doc began.

Pyro gestured him forward. "Go ahead."

"Alright, so this pod was assembled with magic," Doc said, pulling up a picture of the blue auto-doc in Pyro's room. "It's got literally everything I could want, mounted and moved along a rail system. I do incisions, apply pressure, clamps, tie offs, cautery, whatever I need to stop bleeding, all that jazz."

Batman analyzed the schematics shown with a careful eye, his cowl copying each detail shown with the camera built inside.

"You clearly knew what you were doing when you had it commissioned," Aqualad complimented. "Where is this stored, again?"

"By day, it masquerades as a weird table that sits on a tube," Doc began like an announcer of an old radio play. "By night, it is the instrument of surgical power, allowing me to save lives and…you know, give Pyro more tools to work with."

"And no one at your home questions it?" Aqualad asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Well, not to my face," Pyro replied, dragging the last word out as a thought pulled at his head. "Which might be kind of a bad thing. Well, my parents already met Adjutant so I guess this isn't too much of a leap…"

"When did this happen?" Batman asked.

"Two days ago," Adjutant answered.

"I was surprised too," Pyro said flatly. "Normally my parents stay out of my room."

Aqualad hummed. Pyro drummed his fingers on the table.

"Can I-?" Jaina started.

"Later," Pyro said. "We do have a meeting to get too after this."

"Aw…"

"Doc, how much medical data do you have?" Batman asked.

"Right now? A petabyte," Doc replied easily. "What's in that petabyte changes from day to day, depending on my current needs. Right now? Lots of notes on brain surgery, the brain itself and documentation on general best practice."

Batman was quiet as he thought.

"That is a lot of knowledge," Aqualad said.

"Most of it is thanks to the servers we have in the mountain," Doc said. "It's really, _really_ nice. Might not have been able to save Pyro if not for it, actually."

Pyro nervously chuckled again.

Batman hummed and stood up. "I'm satisfied. You'll receive the full list of approved technologies upon the completion of your final project, as agreed upon."

"What might that be?" Pyro asked curiously.

"Manbat's gene splicing," Batman answered. "As we discussed after the incident with Dr. Roquette, gene splicing is for research only. You will not use it without direct League approval."

"Well, that was almost awesome," Doc sighed.

"I know, it's like they're dedicated to finding new ways to disappoint us at every turn," Pyroclasm complained.

"Pyro," Batman started levelly. "This is new territory for the league. You cannot fault us for being cautious."

"No, but I can find you annoying for it," Pyro responded easily, standing up.

"So," Aqualad began. "You'll do it?"

Pyro let out a long sigh. "Yeah. But I still think you're making a mistake."

"Well, then it's up to you to make sure I'm not," Aqualad replied with a grin.

"Ha. Ha."

* * *

"To start, we will have each member of The Team introduce themselves," Batman began, holding a clipboard in his hands. "First Aqualad, then Pyroclasm and we'll go on from there."

Everyone was sitting in a line of chairs arranged in a circle in the training room. Behind them on tables were all the snacks that the Martians had brought with them, bowls of chips, sandwiches, water coolers filled with soda and freshly baked cookies of all types, courtesy of M'Gann.

Aqualad stood up from his chair. "I'm Aqualad, I'm from Atlantis and personal student of Aquaman. I am the team leader and I will be doing my best to ensure that everyone is well trained and capable of handling whatever we face."

Aqualad sat down and Pyroclasm stood up.

"Hi, I'm Pyroclasm; the team's resident a-hole," Pyro introduced himself with a wave. "I like writing computer code, I dislike stupid mistakes and fire is literally glued to my soul. Also, as of today, I'm Aqualad's second-in command."

"Wait, _what_?" Kid Flash barked out with a shocked expression on his face. "Since when?"

"Since today," Aqualad repeated as Pyroclasm sat down.

"But-but-that's-" Kid Flash started sputtering. " _Why_?"

"His ability to plan and solve problems," Aqualad replied with a glare. "It's been invaluable so far."

"Kid," Flash placed his hand on his proteges shoulder. "Remember what we talked about?"

Kid Flash continued to sputter before angrily grunting. "Fine. Whatever, second-in-command. That's great."

"I'm glad you approve," Pyroclasm snipped from his seat.

Artemis, sitting next to Pyro, clearer her throat and stood up. "I'm Artemis, Green Arrow's current protégé. I like using my bow and I don't like missing my shots."

She sat down and Robin stood up.

"I'm Robin, the other half of the dynamic duo," Robin said. "I like punching bad guys and hacking security systems for fun. Oh, and using my grapple hook."

Robin sat down and Superboy stood up.

"I'm Superboy."

Then he sat down, allowing Ms. Martian to stand.

"Hi, I'm M'Gann Morzz," She said with a happy wave. "I like cooking, baking and nineties comedies. I don't like bad guys, bullies or racists."

Then she sat down.

"Hello, I'm Tempest," Garth said, standing up and giving a wave. "I'm a student of the Conservatory of Sorcery in Atlantis and I've taken leave of my studies to assist Aqualad here on the surface."

Beside him, Tula also stood up. "Hello, I'm Aquagirl. I'm _also_ a student at the Conservatory of Sorcery and left to help Aqualad up here."

"I'm very glad to have you both," Aqualad told them with a happy nod as they sat down.

Kid Flash was up in an instant, pointing to himself with an extended thumb and a cool smile. "Hi, I'm Kid Flash, team's resident speedster and science whiz. You can call me Wally. I got my powers the same way the Flash did, you know, after I figured it out."

Pyroclasm gave a mini-applause.

"Right," Kid Flash's expression faltered from cool to annoyed and he sat down at normal speed, folding his arms. "So, that's me. I guess."

"Hello, I am Troia," Donna stood up, looking proud and confident. "I am an Amazon from Themyscera and student of Wonder Woman. I look forward to fighting the forces of evil alongside you."

She sat down and Wonder Woman gave a slight nod of pride.

Zatanna stood up. "Hi, my name's Zatanna Zatara. I cast spells by speaking backwards and I've got a magic wand. I like using my magic, superheroes, and bad boys."

Giovanni Zatara facepalmed. Green Arrow put a hand on his shoulder in sympathy.

She sat down, allowing Raven to float up to a standing position.

"Hello. I'm Raven," She introduced herself without a wave. "I like reading, meditation and solitude. I was invited to the team by Captain Marvel to be your healer. I'm an empath and know shadow magic. Please try not to get hurt."

She sat down.

"Now that we've all been introduced," Batman began, standing up. "Aqualad and Pyroclasm will explain how the team will be organized going forward."

He sat back down and the two team leaders stood up.

"On missions, there will be two groups," Aqualad began, hands behind his back in parade rest. "The ground team and the console team. The ground team will run the mission according to the plan and make adjustments according to new intelligence. The console team will run mission control, either from the Martian Bioship or some other area, feeding the ground team the information needed to keep abreast of tactical developments. Should it be required, the console team will leave mission control to provide on-site assistance to the ground team, but this should only be an emergency measure."

Aqualad turned to Pyroclasm.

"Because the membership of our team magically doubled in size over the past few weeks, we're splitting the roster down to active and reserve members," Pyroclasm began. "Veterans of the team remain on active duty. You newbies are in the reserve and will be moved into active service after we've had the chance to train with you, talk with you, get to know you and your temperaments. Don't take it personally, this is so we can avoid those stupid mistakes that I mentioned before."

"Tomorrow, we'll be meeting Black Canary and Red Tornado, who sadly couldn't make it today," Aqualad continued. "Black Canary is our den mother and mental health specialist while Red Tornado is in charge of watching the cave. They were called on two separate missions that have run longer than expected."

"Questions? Comments?" Pyro asked, then pointed at Robin's raised hand.

"Do we get to meet your AI?" Robin asked.

"Tomorrow," Pyro replied.

"Wait, what's that?" Troia asked.

"An artificial intelligence," Pyro clarified. "The only reason I'm in this room with you at all is because I built a brain capable of handing all the intellectual garbage that I don't have time to learn myself and gave myself superpowers."

Zatanna raised her hand. "Is it true you stuck a fire elemental to your soul?"

"With superglue, staples and some duct tape," Pyro affirmed with a slow nod.

Hidden by her hood, Raven's frown grew deeper as she finally understood what she was sensing from him, past the efforts to keep the disdain for his new position in check. What's that undercurrent of blinding rage and paranoia?

" _Cool_ ," Zatanna gushed.

"I thought it was," Pyro answered easily. "It's why I did it."

"Troia? Did you have a question?" Aqualad asked.

"Yes, how long will I be in reserves?" Donna asked.

"We have been estimating it will only take a week of training together," Aqualad answered with a nod. "Possibly two if we encounter any issues with teamwork."

"It'd have to be some issue, too," Pyro added. "You guys don't have to like each other, just so long as you can work together."

Zatanna cast an uneasy glance at the purple cloak sitting next to her and took a breath. Kid Flash just rolled his eyes at the lecture he'd already heard before.

"Any other questions?" Aqualad asked.

"I got a suggestion, actually," Pyroclasm raised his hand.

"Very well," Aqualad said.

"Our team needs a name," Pyro said. "We've all just been calling it 'The Team', which sounds like a someone trying to use deconstructivist irony in place of actual style. Plus, I'll bet anyone here ten bucks that the Justice League calls it something else when none of us are around to hear them."

"He's right," Ms. Martian said with a sorry smile directed at her Uncle. "On both counts."

"Ugh, really?" Kid Flash asked his mentor. "What did you call us?"

"That's not important," Flash replied with an uneasy smile. "You guys are going to pick an actual name, right?"

"Right," Pyro said. "So, I'm open to suggestions. Computer? Whiteboard."

A holographic screen of white appeared in front of the circle where they could all see it.

"Preferably, it should bring to mind crusaders of justice and fairness," Aqualad suggested.

"Or just be generically cool sounding while being open enough that people can actually see it as applied to us," Pyroclasm added. "Like so. Computer? Add 'The Titans' to the list."

The name appeared on the list.

"You mean like the predecessors to the gods?" Troia asked with a frown.

"I dunno, people just kind of associate them with something mythic and powerful." Pyro simply shrugged. "It's a pretty generic term, though I guess that's not true on Themyscera, huh?"

"Not even close," Troia replied, folding her arms. "The overthrow of the cruel titans by the gods is one of our most sacred accounts."

 _Oh boy,_ Robin thought.

 _You're going to unload on the newbie, huh?_ Kid Flash thought in vindictive anticipation.

 _Pyro no,_ M'Gann thought at him quickly.

 _Relax._ Pyro had turned back to the white board, finger extended, but paused. He turned back to Troia. "I look forward to learning more about what Themyscera has to say about your pantheon of gods."

"Thank you," Troia replied.

"I'm leaving the option up though," Pyro said with a grin on his lips. "Just in case the rest of the team wants that as a name anyway."

Troia looking behind her at Diana, who simply shrugged. "Alright then."

 _So, you're going to unload on her later,_ Kid Flash asked.

 _Not until I understand her point of view_ , Pyro replied. _Just unloading hot slag on someone without all the facts would just make me look like an idiot. Right, Kid Flash?_

 _Shut up,_ Kid Flash thought, reclining in his chair with folded arms.

"How about The Wiz Kids?" Zatanna asked.

Pyro shrugged. "Alright. Computer? The Wiz Kids."

The name appeared beside the Titans.

"We're not children," Tempest pointed out.

"And not all of us are wizards," Aqualad also pointed out.

"Good point," Zatanna said with a disappointed expression.

"How about Thunderbolts?" Kid Flash suggested with a grin. "You know, because we hit our missions so hard, they never know what hit them."

Pyro simply nodded and threw it up on the board.

"Maybe Dagger?" Superboy carefully suggested. "You know, since we're going to be going on stealth and recon missions so we'll get plenty of opportunities to sucker punch the bad guys?"

"Computer, Dagger," Pyro said. "Personally though, Dagger feels sort of incomplete. Would you be opposed to adding to it?"

Superboy shrugged. "I don't care."

"How about Dagger _fall_?" Pyro suggested.

"Okay, that's not bad," Superboy agreed.

"Computer update Dagger: Daggerfall," Pyro ordered, and it was done.

"Wouldn't it make more sense to make it something like ice dagger or shadow dagger or something?" Tula asked in confusion. "A dagger doesn't always fall when it's, you know, killing something."

"I like Daggerfall," Superboy replied.

"Alright," Tula shrugged. "If I can suggest Team Whirlpool?"

"Sure," Pyro nodded, getting the computer to put the name down. "Won't get my vote, though. Fire guy."

"You'll be our secret weapon," Artemis quipped with a grin.

"Oh yeah, I'll just learn to set water on fire and we'll be all set," Pyro snarked back with a smile of his own in his tone. "Any other ideas?"

"The Warriors," Troia suggested with her hand up.

Pyro simply put that up on the board.

"I think that's enough ideas," Aqualad said. "How do we decide, popular vote?"

"I think that's a good idea," Pyro replied. "Okay, who votes for The Titans?"

Pyro and Artemis raised their hands.

"That would be two," Aqualad hurriedly counted. "The Wiz Kids?"

Zatanna and Robin raised their hands.

"Really dude?" Kid Flash asked with a frown.

"Computer Wiz," Robin replied with a cheeky grin.

"Right," Kid Flash replied with the venom one would reserve for a traitor.

"Daggerfall?" Pyro asked.

Superboy and Ms. Martian raised their hands and had their votes counted.

"Team Whirlpool," Aqualad asked, he, Tula and Garth all raising their hands.

"Three for the Water team," Pyro replied. "Thunderbolts?"

Kid Flash raised his hand.

"Warriors?"

Troia raised her hand.

"Okay-"

"Hold on a second, Pyro," Aqualad stopped him. "Raven, I noticed you didn't vote."

"Do I have too?" Raven asked.

"We would appreciate your input," Aqualad answered.

Raven sighed. "Titans."

"Three for Titans," Pyro amended the scoreboard that the computer had started keeping track of. "Which means a tie between Titans and Team Whirlpool."

The other team names were erased from the board.

"So, tie breaker. Raise your hands for The Titans?" Pyro asked.

Pyro, Artemis, Robin, Zatanna and Superboy raised their hands. Upon seeing that Superboy had raised his hand, M'Gann did as well. After a moment, Raven lazily raised her hand without much commitment.

"Seven votes," Pyro counted. "Just to be sure, who votes for Team Whirlpool?"

Aqualad, Tula, Garth, Kid Flash and Troia all raised their hands slowly in defeat. While the others seemed a little disappointed, Kid Flash looked annoyed and Troia looked a little angry.

"Five for team whirlpool," Pyro said. "We shall be henceforth named 'The Titans' by popular vote. Cool. That's all I had. Aqualad, you have anything?"

"No," Aqualad shook his head. "Batman, was there any other official business that needed taking care of?"

"No," Batman replied, standing up. "Refreshments are in the back, mingle and enjoy yourselves."

They all moved to stand and Artemis grabbed Pyro's shoulder. "Hey, Pyro?"

"Yeah, what's up?" Pyro asked.

"Can I…ask you for your help with something?" Artemis asked.

"I got to use the restroom," Pyro replied. "But, later?"

"Sure, later," Artemis nodded.

* * *

"Princess, is this…normal?" Donna asked, walking up to Wonder Woman with a concerned frown.

"The lands outside of Themyscera have been long without the gods," Wonder Woman answered. "It is difficult for them to take their matters seriously."

"But," Donna shook her head. "The Titans? Is that the name I am to fight under?"

"It is a name shared by the predecessors to the gods," Wonder Woman replied. "But it is only a name. It is now your duty to make it your own."

"Yes Princess," Donna with a downcast expression.

"Now go mingle with your new team," Wonder Woman said, gesturing to the room before them. "You will be fighting alongside them, you must get to know them."

With a sigh, she did so, walking toward the conglomeration of her team, who were all standing, enjoying drinks and food. At the very least, she welcomed the presence of gyros as a little taste of home. They were good too, if not quite fresh-tasting.

"You know, I'll be honest," a mechanically toned voice said, walking up behind her. "I was kind of hoping Daggerfall would win."

It was Pyro, holding a cup of orange soda with some kind of straw extending from his helmet. "I only suggested Titans because it was generic and it was a bit of an inside joke between me and some friends."

"Is that so?" Donna asked with narrowed eyes.

"Yeah."

"Then why did you vote for it?" Donna asked.

"Got to stand by my decisions," Pyro shrugged, raising his glass to the straw. "I'm sure you can understand that, right?"

"No," Donna replied, it taking some effort not to grind her teeth as she bit it out.

"That's too bad."

"So why are you talking to me now?" Donna asked.

"I just had some questions is all," Pyro shrugged. "If you didn't mind, that is."

"Ask, then."

"What happened with Arachne?" Pyro asked.

 _What a singular question._ Donna's head tilted. "She was a sorceress who specialized in using spider-silk in her spells. At one point, she created a spell which would allow her to rewrite the tapestry of fate to place her as queen of all the gods, even Zeus, she just needed something woven by a goddess."

"Interesting," Pyro said. "Go ahead, I'm listening."

"Well, she challenged Athena to a weaving contest. If Arachne won, she got bragging rights," Donna continued. "If she failed, Athena could turn her into a spider."

"Wait, that was the losing condition," Pyro said, sounding incredulous. "Alright. What happened next?"

"Turning someone who was named 'spider' into a spider was hilarious, so Athena accepted," Donna replied. "Naturally, she won, being a goddess. Arachne was turned into a spider, but the sorceress asked, as a consolation, to keep the scarf that Athena had woven. Athena relented and allowed her to keep it."

"Stop, stop, stop," Pyro motioned. "The goddess of wisdom couldn't tell that this sorceress had ulterior motives at all?"

"I imagine that she did," Donna answered. "Usually when a mortal challenges a god or goddess at something, it is usually to find ground to challenge that deity for their throne."

"That would actually work?" Pyro asked with a great deal apparent of interest.

"I do not know, but I do know from my sisters that it was a widely held conception by mages," Donna shrugged. "But as a spider, Arachne made to move forward with her spell; being a spider wouldn't matter if she rewove the tapestry of fate. Athena discovered her treachery just in time and stopped the spell. Arachne even now wastes away in Tartarus, having her legs slowly ripped off each day for eternity."

"Well, at least Tartarus is interesting as far as eternal punishments go," Pyro snarked, taking a sip of his soda.

"Why do you ask?" Donna asked.

"Because the version taught outside Themyscera has Arachne as a seamstress that beat Athena at weaving something," Pyro answered. "Then was cursed into a spider for daring to beat a goddess at something. It's used as the story to explain where spiders came from."

"How could such slander have been allowed to spread so far?" Donna asked hotly.

"I dunno."

Donna sighed and rubbed her head. "Do you have any other stories that paint the goddess in such a way?"

"Well, if you feel like a twofer, there's one about the origin of Medusa starring Athena and Poseidon," Pyro offered conversationally.

"Several of my sisters witnessed the birth of Medusa from Echidna," Donna replied with a raised eyebrow. "One of their statues acts as her own headstone."

Pyro hummed. "Irony. Well, according to the myth, Poseidon jumped Medusa and began to have his way with her in one of Athena's temples. She called on Athena to help her and Athena…cursed her to have snake for hair and turning all she saw into stone for daring to be attacked by Poseidon. Apparently, the opinion of the Greeks at the time was that the gods were evil."

The drink in Donna's hand was crushed by her immense strength and she was shaking with rage, glowering right at Pyro.

"Hey, don't be mad at me, I'm just the messenger here," Pyro replied defensively.

"I'm not. Mad. At you," Donna seethed through grit teeth. "I just see now why the Princess believes that we are needed."

"Well, I'm not one to argue one way or the other," Pyro answered that easily, draining his soda with a final slurp. "I'm only just hearing your side of the story, as it were, and I've only got your word for yours and the ancient Greeks word for theirs."

"If you aren't going to believe the truth," Donna began with a glare. "Why seek it out?"

"Idle curiosity," Pyro replied with a shrug. "Anyway, I see Artemis over there and she asked for my help with something, so I'll talk to you later."

* * *

"So, what's up?" Pyro asked.

The two had gone off into a corridor and ducked into one of the conference rooms. While Pyro's expression was invisible beneath the visor of his helmet, Artemis looked a little unsure, like she didn't know where to begin.

After a moment of silence, Pyro gestured for her to say _something_.

"While I was training with Green Arrow," Artemis began slowly. "We went to a lab. Rose Entomology labs. Doctor had turned himself into a giant bug and his fellow scientists into insectoid drones."

"I read about that," Pyro said with a pointed finger. "Hellgrammite, right? Nice job."

"Thank you," Artemis said. "But it got me thinking. About you, and your rules."

"They're pretty good, right?" Pyro asked, sounding pleased with himself. "Nothing like that'll ever happen to me if I keep them."

"I mean, yes," Artemis agreed with a nod. "But that's not what I meant. I was thinking about the rule that, you know, says that…"

Pyro cupped the bottom of his helmet, where his chin would be. "You want super powers."

"Yes," Artemis nodded rapidly. "Yes, please. I mean, I want to help people, but what do I do if I get jumped by something like Doctor Rose or Klarion or something? It's been keeping me up at night."

"Okay."

"Is that all you have to say?" Artemis asked with a glare. "Okay?"

"Yeah. What powers do you want?" Pyro asked with a shrug.

"Oh," Artemis suddenly felt sort of stupid. "Just like that?"

"Just like that," Pyro nodded. "You're one of the few people I can actually call a friend, so of course I want to help if I can."

Artemis felt sort of flattered by that, with her cheeks feeling warm. "Thanks, I didn't know I meant that much to you."

"Well, you do," Pyro replied. "So, what power do you want?"

"Uh…" Artemis started. "All of them?"

Pyro laughed. "I'm still working on that."

"Well, I don't know, something to help my archery," Artemis insisted. "I'd like to keep my bow."

"Well, are you opposed to going through the Prometheus Rite, like I did?" Pyro asked.

"Mess with my soul?" Artemis asked with a frown. "I don't know, does it hurt?"

"Yeah," Pyro nodded. "Worth it to me, personally, but if you aren't sure?"

"How bad are we talking here?" Artemis asked with a frown.

"On a one to ten scale across the whole body?" Pyro asked, tilting his head up like he was pondering this question. "About a fifteen."

"Geeze," Artemis said, rubbing her arm. "Do you have anything else?"

"I've got the start of several other things," Pyro replied. "For example, I just upgraded my anti-psi chip to give me telekinesis."

"Wait, really?" Artemis asked, surprised.

"Really," Pyro said, extending his hand out to a remote sitting on top of the table. It slowly floated toward him, sliding into his fingers with no effort. "The technology behind it though was flawed. Basically, it killed your brain while you used it. We worked all that out but lost almost all of the power _and_ almost all of the control I could have had."

"How much control do you have?" Artemis asked with a thoughtful expression on her face.

"About as much control as you have over an app on your phone," Pyro answered, dropping the remote on the table. "Without hacking it, which is to say, not a lot. If you want something _now_ , the Prometheus Rite is my best and most reliable method."

"So, can it only give you fire powers?" Artemis asked.

"No, it can take matter from any of the elemental planes," Pyro replied. "If you go wind, you could probably fly, or at least jump really high and detect people moving along the air currents. You could even assist your arrows for some _wild_ trick-shots."

"That's a good idea," Artemis agreed with a nod. "But I'd like to know all my options."

"Well, there's the Burn, which is fire powers," Pyro began to list off the options on his fingers.

"Nah. That's your thing, I can't steal it."

"I really don't mind, though."

"No, no. I don't want fire powers."

"Alright. After that comes the Melt, which would be earth or stone powers," Pyro continued. "Then the White which is Air like we've discussed. Then the Clear with water powers…"

"Aqualad's thing," Artemis dismissed with a wave. "And Aquagirl. And Tempest, I guess."

"Point. After that comes the Divide," Pyro said. "That's germs and diseases."

"Ew, no," Artemis shook her head with a disgusted look on her face.

"I mean, it'd be a really useful power set," Pyro pointed out.

"It would be," Artemis agreed, nodding then shaking her head. "But no."

"After that would be the Green," Pyro explained. "Plant powers, obviously."

"What, like Poison Ivy?" Artemis asked, her nose crinkling in disgust.

"I mean, you could generate a new bow out of wood whenever you want, that wood would be super strong," Pyro listed off. "You could just grow infinite trick arrows, make super strong wood armor…"

Artemis hummed, tossing the ability around in her head.

"After that, I think, is the Red," Pyro listed off. "Animals, shapeshifting and stuff."

"Anything after that?" Artemis asked.

"There's been tell of something called the Metal," Pyro shrugged. "Plane of technology, software and robots. I haven't been able to confirm its existence though."

"That'd be kind of cool," Artemis said with a thought. "Still, those are my options with the Prometheus Rite, huh?"

"Yup," Pyro nodded. "Or you can wait however long it takes for me to work out a less strenuous method of gaining powers. Well, useful powers."

Artemis hummed, cupping her chin in thought. "How long does the Prometheus rite last?"

"Well, I stayed conscious for about half a second," Pyro answered with a nod. "Then I was on fire in my dreams for the rest of the hour."

"So, an hour," Artemis cut through with a frown. "At extreme pain?"

"I mean, it might be different if you weren't gluing something that came from a literal sun to your soul," Pyro shrugged. "But I doubt it."

She hummed in thought again.

"Look, if you want time to think about it, I understand," Pyro said. "But if you want to do the crazy thing like I did and just dive in with both feet, I understand that too."

"Would I be able to do it today?" Artemis asked with a frown.

"No, I don't have any potion," Pyro replied. "It'll take a few weeks to have enough to use to perform the Rite."

"So, I guess I get to think about it first anyway, right?" Artemis asked with a chuckle. Then she sighed. "That stinks."

"Sorry," Pyro shrugged. "That's just how it is."

"Well, thanks for your help, Pyro," Artemis said with a smile. "I really appreciate it."

"Happy to do it," Pyro replied, starting to walk away.

"Ah, ah, ah. Hold it," Artemis said, grabbing him by the shoulder and moving to look into his visor. "Do me one favor."

"Shoot," Pyro said.

"Stop calling yourself crazy," Artemis said, poking him straight in the chest. "You are not crazy. You're the smartest, funniest, most ornery guy I've ever met but you are _not_ crazy. Stop saying you are. Because you're not."

"But I was going to plead insanity if I accidentally burnt something down," Pyro joked.

"Pyro," Artemis said with a frown. "I'm being serious, here. Please."

He let out a reluctant sigh. "Alright, I'll try to stop referring to myself as crazy."

"Thank you," Artemis said, leaning forward and laid a kiss on the side of his helmet.

"Wait, did you just-" But Artemis had left before he could finish his question.

So, he just brought his gloved hand to the side of his helmet to rub the spot where she had pecked with her lips, a strange warmth that had nothing to do with the very fires of creation rising inside of him.

* * *

 _Author's Note: Well, in exchange for this behemoth of a chapter coming out_ this _week instead of next week, there won't be a chapter next week. I'm sorry, I know you're disappointed, but I've packed two weeks' worth of content in here just for you. Because I happen to like you guys, a lot._

 _Next chapter will probably be an interlude since this montage/training arc with everyone has officially wrapped up and we can start with the missions again. Also, with this chapter, we've officially hit over 100k words, which is novel length! Yay! I'm super thankful for all the support I've gotten since when I started this fiction, I was trying to poke my muse with several projects at once, seeing if any could get a readership._

 _I'm glad this one stuck and I'm glad you're all still here with me._

 _A really special thanks goes out too_ Steelcondor, _the newest member of our circle of patrons. Thank you so much for your support._

 _Also, a thank you to super patrons_ Melden V, Anders Kronquist, Ray Tony Song, makopaulo, Volkogluk, Aaron Bjornson, iolande, Martin Auguado, Julio, Jiopaba, Hackerham, Tim Collins-Squire, Maben00, Sultan Saltlick, PostLifeSyndrome, Ventari _and_ PbookR. _You guys are awesome, thank you for your continued help making these stories happen._

 _Until the next time!_

 _~Fulcon_


	21. Chapter 21: Interlude - Arson

_The following is a fan-based work of fiction._ _Young Justice is property of DC Comics, Warner Brothers and Greg Weisman – please support the official release._

* * *

" _Some men just want to watch the world burn."_

 _~Alfred Pennyworth_

* * *

Doing things slowly and carefully was never Klarion's style.

This could not be further exemplified than by the room-full of corpses where he and Abra stood in the center. Some of the people had burnt straight to ash, the only things left of them being their bones caked black in soot. Others had been partially transmogrified to stone, moss and vines growing out of parts of their bodies while the other, clearly human parts were contorted in agony. The less said about those that dissolved into a puddle of sleet and blood, the better, though the Witchboy would disagree.

But watching the results of haphazard attempts at fusing an element to a person's soul had gotten boring, which meant it was time to actually do things that worked.

Abra, for his part, was sweating bullets. "Are you sure this is going to work?"

"Don't be such a baby," Klarion replied, holding a haphazard array of runes in the air. "Watching what happens to failures got boring ten minutes ago."

"Right, right," Abra said, nodding shakily while staring at the poor unfortunate soul who died when half of his face had turned into magma.

"Besides, we need a sub since Count Vertigo wussed out," Klarion replied. "Now hold still."

There were lots of ways to throw together a magical graft, Klarion had found. Since he had met that _fascinating_ Michael Winter, his experimentation had been far wider and varied than was immediately apparent by the mob of corpses that had surrounded the two in the warehouse.

For this one, he was using neutral magic. Regular, plain ol' neutral magic. Not particularly good at anything, not all that bad at anything either. Normally, he'd give him something fascinating, turn him into a lava elemental or a dragon, but he wanted to be a regular wizard and Savage was clear; Abra's magic was supposed to be a surprise.

Klarion loved surprises.

He shoved the array into Abra's form and the usual happened. Abra's body rose into the air, engulfed in blooming magical energy that was sticking itself to his soul, eyes glowing, blah, blah, blah. It stopped being fun after the first round of tests and he knew what to expect.

The Witchboy checked his watch, impatiently tapping his foot. It was just an empty gesture, the watch a fake that pointed to things like cake slices and someone being zapped by lightning. In his arms, Teekl meowed in boredom.

"Not now, you stupid cat." Klarion glared down at his orange tabby.

Teekl hissed at him.

"We're waiting on him," Klarion snapped, pointing a thumb at Abra. "Then we'll get back to the good stuff."

He was being orderly, which was unlike an agent of chaos, which meant that he was being chaotic. However, him making plans on how to use the soul grafts he had practiced making was also orderly, almost enough to set up a pattern, which was also orderly. The only thing from directly stopping this from becoming too orderly for him was the fact that those plans changed from second to second. Which was chaotic.

Abra finally set down on the ground, sweating profusely and his neat ponytail completely undone. His breathing was hoarse and sounded like it had some sort of echo to it. In his hand was a small ball of energy, a mix between blue and purple colors swirling around.

Klarion took a deep breath, fingers drumming on Teekl's head in impatience.

When Abra's eyes finally caught sight of the ball of magic in his hand, his breathing stopped and the ball disappeared. Then it came back. With a wave of his hand, one of the stone-grafted corpses raised off the ground.

A chuckle turned into a full blow laugh. "I can't believe it! Magic! I have magic!"

"Yeah, yeah, keep your shirt on," Klarion snipped with a sneer. "Now remember, you practice in secret. We don't want you to ruin the surprise, you understand?"

"Yes," Abra was nodding rapidly, almost like he had only barely heard it.

"Just remember that if you mess it up, I can redo it," Klarion continued with a nasty smile.

That got Abra's attention. "I won't mess up. I swear! I'll keep it secret, promise!"

"Good," Klarion said. Then he gave a wave of his fingers. "Bye."

Abra grabbed his wand and teleported to his hideout.

"Finally," Klarion breathed out.

Michael Winter, the source of this newfound ingenuity, was a reincarnate. It was patently easy to figure out once you looked past the soul graft. The soul was older than the body and was distinctly alien. Nabu, who had taken the kid under his wing, probably knew this as well, but that wasn't as relevant as it seemed. What was relevant was the fact that in coming from an entirely different earth, he brought with him a lot of fresh ideas. In getting involved in the superhero scene, he had changed the rules of the game.

Klarion _loved it_ when the rules changed. Made things interesting. Sure, it meant that the plans his 'cohorts' came up with were falling apart at the seams but who needed plans? The whole 'take over the Justice League' idea was stupid anyway. Much better to put them in entertaining situations and see if you could get them to spread chaos on accident.

Of course, in order to get interesting situations, there needed to be a catalyst. Klarion hated that, it was so _orderly_. But the types of catalysts he could make were _new_ and exciting and _chaotic._ So, it was fine. This time.

Like how it was fine that Michael had almost incinerated Teekl. Forgiven by being interesting and giving Klarion ideas. The next time, he would burn alive in his own fire.

You couldn't just attack the familiar of a Lord of Chaos and expect to survive the reprisal. Except when you did. Chaos was funny that way.

"Now," Klarion muttered, three-quarters to Teekl, one third to himself. "Let's play a game…"

A pseudo-wall of cackling red energy emerged in front of the Witchboy, as tall and as wide as a warehouse he stood in, cutting through the corpses in it's way like a hot knife through butter. On the walls were names and pictured like a board filled with pictures of missing persons.

"It's time to pick! Our! Winners!" Klarion said, rubbing his clawed hands together in anticipation. Teekl hopped down from his arms and curled up for a brief nap, completely bored. "Stupid cat."

Klarion turned around so his back was facing the opposite direction, five daggers of chaotic energy threaded in-between his fingers. He licked his lips with a forked tongue, showing demonic fangs as he did.

The daggers were thrown over Klarion's shoulders and he spun on his heels to look at his new targets. "Good. Good. Good! Four brand new supervillains in the world, just what we need to bring things back into equilibrium. So, we'll do five! If it's worth doing, it's worth _overdoing_ , right Teekl?"

The cat meowed and hopped back into its master's arms.

With a demented giggle, Klarion teleported away to his first destination in a flash of red light.

Not a minute later, the door to the warehouse opened, the bright beam of a flashlight illuminating the way forward. In stepped Frank, the security guard, who just got back from his lunch break. At first, his tired eyes didn't register that anything was wrong. Then slowly his brown eyes started to widen as the flashlight came on a stone statue that hadn't been there before.

With a grunt of confusion, he scratched his bald head. Frank stepped in something wet and he brought his flashlight down to see that he had stepped in a puddle of frozen blood.

Frank broke into a cold sweat, his eyes wide open and awake as he surveyed the warehouse, seeing the nearly hundred corpses that Klarion the Witchboy had left behind.

He bolted for the exit, desperately grabbing for his cellphone.

* * *

The first lucky winner was Wendy Sutton.

She was having a very bad year.

In January, her mother passed, a victim of one of Joker's gas attacks while she was on a business trip in Gotham City. It hit her really hard since they were really close.

Of course, the resulting grief had a domino effect, she wasn't as willing to be open and happy as she was before, so her boyfriend decided to start giving some other girls his attention. He dumped her at the start of February.

She had started cutting her wrists, something that made Klarion laugh condescendingly. Her father started drinking heavily, lost his job, which made him just start drinking more.

He passed the previous evening with her four-year old brother, driving drunk while driving him to a play-date with a friend that lived across the city.

This series of unfortunate events was why Klarion was watching her from the edge of a pool, having handcuffed a fifty-pound barbell to her foot trying to drown at the bottom of a twenty-foot pool.

Teekl batted her paw offensively at the water.

"Ah, suck it up," Klarion said, snapping his fingers full of chaotic energy. Teekl moved to curl around his shoulders. "Water's like a no-brainer here."

Energy from the Clear to manipulate water, mixed with energy from the Red for shape-shifting. On a burst of serendipity, he added some energy from the Rot and sent it down to the bottom of the pool.

The result soon became very apparent.

A giant, writhing mass of tentacles erupted from the pool, sending water in every direction. The main body, feminine shape notwithstanding, was covered in a thick, dark blue hide. The arms were massive, razor-sharp claws coming out of each finger. The head was, of course, modeled after a shark with more teeth than the Osmond family.

Wendy screamed in horror, looking down at herself, undoubtedly waking the neighbors. She pushed herself out of the pool with her new, tentacle heavy lower body and found herself shrinking back to her normal size.

She backed away from the pool on hands and knees as quickly as possible, green eyes wide in horror as she hurriedly brushed aside a long strange of black hair.

"Again! Again!" Klarion cheered, clapping with a manic smile. "Do it again!"

"What-I…what happened?" Wendy whimpered, backing herself into the back of the chain-link fence, kicking at the floor. "What did you do?"

"I gave you a new purpose in life," Klarion replied, calming down. He continued in a sing-song voice. " _Don't waste it_."

"You gave me a…" She shook her head in disbelief and her stomach grumbled.

"Yup," Klarion pointed off on the horizon. "There's a lake about a mile _that way_. Food will come to you. If you want my advice, I'd stay away from the ocean."

"But," She started, still terrified as her stomach growled more.

"Clock's ticking," Klarion told her with a grin. "I'd hurry before the police get here. Unless, you know, maybe that's your plan…"

"Hey!"

They both turned and looked at a Hotel security guard briskly walked up to them, hand on his pistol. He was a large, overweight man with long blonde hair. His face was clean-shaven and his eyes were covered in shadow beneath his hat. "This is private property!"

Wendy felt fangs growing in her mouth and before she knew it, she had jumped at the guard. His scream was brief and not particularly loud.

Teekl meowed in annoyance.

"Yes, the craving for human flesh was necessary," Klarion muttered in defiance. "She might've become a hero or something without it."

Unsurprisingly, for someone with shapeshifting, it didn't take her long to finish her midnight snack. Wendy looked down at her blood-soaked shirt and jeans with a sob. "What did you do to me?"

"I told you, I gave you new purpose in life!" Klarion replied his grin growing more sadistic with every word. "As a vicious, man-eating sea-beast."

"You what-?" Wendy might've been crying, it was hard to tell tear apart from the beads of pool water.

"Well, a vicious _undead_ man-eating sea-beast," Klarion amended. "You know, so we can avoid any more of that suicidal stuff. I mean, this isn't the Darwin awards."

"Shut up!"

"Actually, it might be the Darwin awards," Klarion continued muttering to himself. "Give she was dumb enough to tell a Lord of Chaos to shut up…"

Teekl meowed.

"I can't just obliterate her, that's what she wants!" Klarion complained. "So much more fun to let her being an undead sea-beast."

The sound of sirens came from the edge of Klarion's hearing. "Oh, there's the police."

"I'm not running," Wendy said with a fervor she hadn't felt in months.

"So, you _are_ going to eat them too!" Klarion asked with a grin. "Wow, you took to this faster than I thought!"

Just like that, the fervor died. Her stomach grumbled.

"Anyway, I got another appointment," Klarion said, looking at his watch, which now pointed to an exit sign. "So, I'm leaving. Have fun with the police-buffet!"

Klarion vanished in a flash of red light.

Now alone, Wendy looked around. The sound of sirens was getting closer. She slowly turned to the fence and easily hopped it, heading toward the lake.

Heading towards safety.

* * *

Ryan Lacroix was not having a good day.

He scratched at his black beard while looking at the ceiling of his cell, hands held behind his head as he lay on a pillow behind his head

This was no ordinary prison, however. It belonged to Checkmate.

It was a…small department in the Government. Just barely getting past experimental phases and getting more clout and funding. One dedicated to understanding and combatting the superhuman menace that was growing daily.

Ryan was one of their surgeons and researchers. He had cut open several dozen metahumans delivered to his table. Some may have been alive, but that didn't matter after their hearts had been removed and analyzed. All that mattered was ensuring that the threat would not grow so great that humanity was rendered extinct no matter who won at the end of the day.

Defending humanity was a global responsibility. So, Ryan had sold the secret that there was a gene, a _gene_ that determined if someone could get superpowers following a serious accident.

He had never expected for it to be found out.

So now here he laid, awaiting the military tribunal to tell him he was going to hang. Or get shot. Or lethal injection would be used. It didn't matter.

Ryan had felt like he had done his duty. As many minds as there could be would be working to solve the superhuman crisis before it got any worse. Remove powers from those who were dangerous and ensure they were tightly regulated.

He sat up in shock as a red flash of light signaled an intruder in his cell.

"Oh. You're in jail," Klarion said with a raised eyebrow. "Whatever. We can still work with this."

Ryan recognized him and sat up. Klarion the so-called 'Witchboy', designated dangerous reality-warping meta. Noted for childishness, sadistic behavior and general unpredictability. That he was in his cell meant things were going to look up…or going to get much, much worse.

"To what do I owe a visit?" Ryan asked with a fascinated eyebrow.

"Random chance!" Klarion replied with a huge smile…one with an uncomfortable number of teeth. "So, how would you like to break out?"

Ryan blinked. "What's the catch?"

Klarion laughed, loudly. He held a black and red ball of energy in his hand. "No catch. This time."

"Hey, hey, hey, keep it-" He never finished his sentence.

It was energy entirely from the Rot, carefully constructed to avoid giving any of the…downsides. No, Klarion had decided spur-of-the-moment that it would be much more fun if Ryan just had death powers _as is_ without any additional compulsions.

The application took a few minutes, but when it was done, Ryan fell to the floor on his hands and knees. "What did you do?"

"Come on, you can feel it," Klarion replied easily, scratching Teekl behind the ears. "I gave you powers."

"What kind of powers?" Ryan asked.

The door to the cell flew open and there stood the guard to Ryan's cell. "What's going on in here?"

He looked to find that Klarion had disappeared, but also that he could see the guard. His name was Richard Rex and he had been alive for thirty-two years. He had a wife and six children, two of which from another marriage that was cut short by disease. Ryan could see the way that his soul was hooked to his body, perceiving the anchors that kept from ascending to a good place that waited for him after he died.

Ryan's head tilted.

"Answer the question!" Richard barked angrily, drawing the club at his belt. "What was the light?"

It would be such a simple thing to break those anchors…

Richard's face was barely an inch away from Ryan's.

"Answer. The. Question," Richard snarled.

Richard hated traitors.

And he was gone.

The corpse collapsed to the ground. Ryan knelt down and grabbed the keycard.

"No hesitation," Klarion said approvingly. "You are going to be a lot of fun."

"I have things to do," Ryan replied, starting to undo the armor that the guard wore. "Important things. For the safety of the world. I can't do them stuck in a prison cell."

"Sure, sure, yeah. Things," Klarion was nodding rapidly. He produced a business card between his two front fingers. "Head to club L'Excellence, ask the bartender for Marc. He'll take care of you."

"Why are you helping me?" Ryan asked curiously.

"Because I had an idea," Klarion replied with a grin. "And it's turning out to be a good one."

He was gone.

Ryan got the uniform on and walked out Checkmate a free man.

* * *

"What are you aiming at?" Zachary Edison shouted at his tvscreen, controller in his hand. "Shoot the objective you idiot!"

He had brown eyes and shoulder-length brown hair. His chin had some scruff and he was wearing an orange beanie.

"Man, does your mother not love you or something?" Came the reply from his teammate.

"OH SHUT UP YOU…" Then Zachary just went off, his fingers turning white from gripping the controller so hard, his eyes wide. It looked like he might pop a blood vessel.

Given that his mother was just killed by a drunk diver the previous evening, his outburst was understandable.

Klarion just sat beside him on the couch, petting his cat and watching the display with an amused smile.

"…AND SHOVE IT UP YOUR RECTUM!" Zach finished, turning his game console off with the press of a button on his controller.

"That was the funniest thing I've heard in a while," Klarion offered.

Zach jumped two feet in the air, backing up on the arm of his couch and then accidentally falling off over the side.

Klarion just laughed and stood up.

"You! I know you!" Zach said, pointing at Klarion. "You were on the internet! Fighting that Doctor Fate guy and Red Tornado!"

"Ooh, I love being recognized," Klarion replied. "So, how are you?"

"Please don't hurt me," Zachary whimpered.

"You know, I think I like you," Klarion said, pooling together a package from all the elemental planes. "Now hold still."

"What are you doing?"

Klarion just shoved the ball at Zach without answering and laughed like a maniac at the face Zach made before he lost consciousness.

"Oh, this is too good," Klarion wiped a tear from his face.

Teekl meowed curiously up at the Witchboy.

"I don't know, let me check," Klarion said, pulling up the information from the internet with his magic. "Mary Edison, drunk driver…Larry Sutton?"

That just made him laugh harder, collapsing to the floor and banging his fists on the ground. "Oh, oh! That's hilarious! Small world is best world!"

The transformation finished, and Klarion disappeared from sight.

Zachary immediately sat up, his eyes wide like a deer caught in the headlights. He looked left, then right and caught no sight of his impromptu visitor. Which was good. Because he hated visitors.

His stomach growled.

He hated leaving his room, too, but food was in the kitchen and his Mom just finished stocking up on Cereal. So, Zach stood up, vigorously brushed the dust off and walked toward the door. He opened the door and was greeted with a cobblestone corridor lit by torch that stretched off into the shadows before him.

Zach closed the door and shook his head. He'd have to ask his mother to get him double the prescription on his medication. No, no. Father. Mother wasn't here. Then he opened it, and was greeted with the sight of his parents living room.

He walked forward, poured himself a bowl of Batflakes and came back to his room. He pulled open the door and found a cobblestone corridor lit by torch that stretched off into the shadows before him.

Zach closed the door, then opened it again. There was his room. Then he shut the door again and found a cobblestone corridor lit by-he closed the door and opened it. There was his room.

"Okay, uh," Zach said loudly. "This isn't funny."

"It's kind of funny."

Zach slowly turned around and saw Klarion waiting for him.

"Uh…"

"Hey, you should be happy!" Klarion said. "You have super powers!"

"What kind of super powers?" Zach asked.

"You can create your very own _Labyrinth_ ," Klarion answered. "Filled with whatever you'd like, with as many entrances, exits, and traps that you can imagine."

Zachary blinked, and opened the door again. He found a cobblestone corridor lit by to- "Where does it go?"

"Nowhere," Klarion answered.

"Well, I want to go to my room," Zach replied.

"Then open the door again," Klarion shrugged.

Zach opened the door and there was his room.

"I don't understand what's going on," Zach said frantically. "What did you do?"

"Gave you super powers," Klarion answered.

"Why?" Zach asked.

"The dart landed on your name," Klarion shrugged.

"Why do you have a dartboard with my name on it?" Zach asked.

"It kind of had everyone's name on it," Klarion replied.

"Everyone?" Zach asked.

"Everyone."

"So, what do I do?" Zach asked.

"Well, for starters, you could get back at that guy who insulted your mom," Klarion offered.

Zach's eyes narrowed. "How would I do that?"

"Think really hard about the Labrynth's you have in place right now," Klarion answered.

Zach closed his eyes and hoped Klarion would disappear. When that didn't work, he thought about the hallway that stretched out of his room and a golden glow appeared in front of his closed eyes. It was a…map.

"Okay, so the next thing you do is you think of the guy who insulted your mother," Klarion replied with an innocent smile. A door icon appeared on the map. "Okay. Then you build a room just off of that door."

Zach's head tilted. "Can I fill it with traps?"

" _Yes_."

"What kind?"

"Any kind!"

"Okay, I want him to fall into a spiked pit," Zach said. "No, no. I want him to get eaten by Piranha's. Flying Piranhas!"

Behind Zach, Klarion was grinning like a demon. "Do it."

"Okay," The room appeared down the hall. "There's the room. Now, do I wait?"

"Well, not exactly," Klarion continued. "You do have to give him a way out."

"Why?" Zach asked.

 _Because it's no fun if your power is an automatic win every time_. Klarion thought. "You need to finish the Labyrinth is the thing."

"I do," Zach nodded. "Okay, okay. So, uh…this is crazy."

"Lord of Chaos."

"Right," Zach thought, wrapping another hallway from the room filled with flying Piranha's back around to the guys door on the map. "Okay, it's finished."

"Now you just sit and wait," Klarion said, sitting on the couch and leaning back. Teekl meowed at him. "Hush, Teekl."

"There he is! There he is!" Zach thought, pointing at the map at the person icon that had just come from the door.

The icon slowly, but surely moved through the hall until it got to the room. After thirty seconds, the icon changed into skull and crossbones and disappeared.

"When someone dies, their body is transported back to the real world," Klarion explained. "You know, because. We don't want you to have to deal with a lot of garbage like that."

"Gotcha, gotcha," Zach nodded.

"So!" Klarion said happily, rubbing his hands together with glee. "You just killed someone who insulted you on the internet! How do you feel?"

"Pretty good," Zach said.

"Not even the slightest bit of guilt?" Klarion asked.

"No. He insulted my Mom," Zach replied darkly. "Besides, people suck. That's just a fact of life."

"Alright then," Klarion nodded with an amused chuckle. "So, I'm out of here and you won't see me again. Have fun! Also, word to the wise: Don't use minotaur's."

"Why not?" Zach asked.

"They'll kill you," Klarion replied. "They move through labyrinth's like a fish goes through water and it doesn't matter if the two of you are in disconnected parts of your maze – they will find you and kill you."

"Good to know," Zach said with a nod, going back to the map of his labyrinth.

With a wave, Klarion departed in a flash of red light.

It was a productive visit. He just got a teenager to casually murder a man the day before his wedding to the mother of his child.

Those were always the best types of visits.

* * *

Klarion found himself standing in a spacious kitchen. Down at his feet were a pair of corpses with knife wounds in their back, a middle-aged man and woman. Looking ahead to the dining room, he saw the brown hair of the lucky winner draped over the back of the chair she was sitting in.

This was Sarah Fields.

He quietly walked up behind the girl, who was eating a sandwich.

"You know, so far people haven't actually killed anyone until _after_ I've given them powers," Klarion started conversationally. "It warms my heart to see someone buck that trend."

Sarah wirled around in her chair, clutching the knife she used to kill her parents and swung it at Klarion. It simply phased through him like he wasn't there and she recognized who it was in her parent's dining room.

She went deathly pale, rapidly backing up as Klarion stepped forward, closing the distance just as quickly. She wound up against a wall, hyperventilating. "Relax, I just wanted to help. And know why. Yeah, I'd like to know why?"

Her reply was slow and deliberate. "They were going to cut me off. Said that I was making enough from my job to pay for my own college."

"Were you?" Klarion asked.

"That's not the point," Sarah's eyes narrowed. "I have other expenses besides school and living. I haven't worn the same outfit twice a single day since I've been in school and I wasn't about to start now."

 _Was she this unhinged before she left home or did college do her in?_ Klarion asked with a delighted laugh. "What's your job?"

"I work in the school genetics lab," Sarah replied stiffly.

"Ooooooh," Klarion said with an impressed expression. "Researcher?"

"Yes," Sarah replied.

Klarion's smile got very wide as he begun speaking in a sing-song voice. "I know what I'm doing…"

"Um…"

An energy ball with power pulled from the Divide, the Red and the Grey slammed into Sarah's abdomen. She stood there, floating as the energy fused itself with her soul. When it was finished, she collapsed to the ground, breathing heavily. "What did you just do?"

"Oh, take a look at yourself and find out," Klarion suggested happily.

Teekl meowed.

"Take a good, long look."

Sarah looked at her hand, then her body, noticing no changes. But then it came to her. She could feel how her blood rushed through her body, how her DNA determined how her body was built…and she could feel the power to change them.

Her arm became scaly and large, fingers tipped with claws. "This isn't possible."

"Sure it is," Klarion shrugged grinned. "It's happening right there."

"But…but…" She turned her head on its side and accidentally found out that she was flexible enough to turn it three-hundred-and sixty-degrees counter-clockwise. "How…why?"

"Random chance," Klarion replied with a grin. "Now, what are you going to do?"

"I don't know."

"Sure, you do! You were mulling it over when I walked in."

"I need to leave," Sarah said, looking past Klarion and at the bodies of her parents. "I don't want Superman coming in and putting me in jail."

"Might I suggest somewhere remote that's teeming with wildlife you can experiment with?" Klarion asked with a grin. "Like Alaska. Not a lot of people up in Alaska."

"But it's so cold up there, though," Sarah pointed out with a pout.

"Are you sure that's going to be a problem?" Klarion asked.

Sarah stopped dead and her skin _rippled_ across her muscles like a shockwave was sent through them. "No. No, it won't be. My mistake."

"Have fun on the trip," Klarion waved and disappeared.

* * *

"I know, I know," Klarion said. "We've got just one more thing to do, and I've got a plan."

Teekl meowed.

"No, this time I'm _making_ something," Klarion pointed out, dropping Teekl onto the floor.

They were on a rooftop in Central City, the cars down below honking and beeping like loud, ground-bound fireflies in their roads.

Klarion started by turning part of the roof to metal, which he then shaped. First it was male, then it was female, then it was both, then it became neither. With narrowed eyes, he turned the suit of armor into a male shape. Then he gave it a round shield and a short Warhammer to fight with.

Then came the enchantments.

Intelligence, it needed that in spades. It needed to move quickly, so speed and flight. Give it the strength needed to fight if it needed. Make that hammer able to smash through magic like it was butter. Make the shield extra resistant to magic. Then give him the ability to teleport because why not?

Then turn it on.

The visor on the armor's helmet slid open, revealing a human face that was slightly green. His voice was of the deepest timber, the words echoing out of his mouth with a power that ran just beneath the surface. "How may I serve?"

Klarion opened his mouth, then he made another wall of names on the roof beside him. He casually tossed a dart at one and brought it forward. "Your name is Avenger."

"Thank you."

"And you can serve by killing the hero-brat named Pyroclasm," Klarion replied. "His real identity is hidden, you might need find it. Or not. Coordinate with the four nutcases I just turned into walking nightmares if you need too."

"Do you know his identity?" Avenger asked.

"That changes from minute to minute," Klarion replied.

"His identity changes?"

"No, whether or not I know it changes," Klarion replied.

"How am I to find it?" Avenger asked.

"Start in New England," Klarion replied. "He's smart, but he's got a vicious temper and a strong conscience. Use those smarts of yours to track him down. Or lure him out. Or something."

"I will begin immediately."

"Just make it entertaining," Klarion replied viciously. "He tried to kill my cat."

"As you wish."

Forgiveness was such a fickle thing, really. At least, when Klarion did it.

* * *

 _Author's Note: Just when we thought the cast of characters couldn't get any bigger, here's five new characters all made by Klarion because he was inspired by the Prometheus Rite. I confess that I'm starting to get a bit nervous about how big the cast is, so it'll be a bit before we see any of these people again._

 _Also, Klarion's a monster, but he's a chaotic monster, so I thought I'd try to make some creative villains. Hopefully I did a good job. I know the characters are kind of flat right now, we kind of just had everything thrown at us at random, thanks to Klarion picking people at random. But I wanted to just get straight to the point since it'd be a bit much to ask you guys to be invested and attached to these guys with only one chapter beyond 'cool villain bro'._

 _Anyway, shout out goes out too_ Melden V, Anders Kronquist, Ray Tony Song, makopaulo, Volkogluk, Aaron Bjornson, iolande, Martin Auguado, Julio, Jiopaba, Hackerham, Tim Collins-Squire, Maben00, Sultan Saltlick, PostLifeSyndrome, Ventari _and_ PbookR. _Your continued support helps makes writing this possible, thank you so much._

 _Until the next time!_

 _~Fulcon_


	22. Chapter 22: Where there's smoke

_The following is a fanbased work of fiction._ _The following is a fanbased work of fiction. Young Justice is property of DC Comics, Warner Brothers and Greg Weisman – please support the official release._

* * *

"Pyro has been under surveillance since his initial incident which will remain undisclosed," Batman said emotionlessly. "He is above suspicion."

"That is good," Aqualad let out a breath.

"What's the deal?" Pyro asked.

"There is a mole on the team," Aqualad responded.

"So that's what you learned in Rhelasia," Pyro said, leaning back into his chair. "You know for a fact that the mole is on the team and not in the Justice League?"

Aqualad stopped, his eyes going wide as he looked at Batman.

"I have considered this possibility. I will handle the investigation at the League level," Batman affirmed. "I am leaving the Titan Investigation in your hands."

"There's also the idea that there's not a mole at all," Pyro pointed out. "And that Sportsmaster was trying to mess with your head."

"That is true," Aqualad adopted a thoughtful expression. "But we cannot take that risk."

"Good point," Pyro said. "So, according to the brief's that I've been given, Superboy had his trigger phrases removed?"

"That's correct," Batman replied.

"So, I think we can rule him out," Pyro said. "Actually, before we start, can we invite Adjutant to this discussion? I vouch for her and she is a security expert; something like this would be her bread and butter."

"I would not be opposed to it," Aqualad answered.

"Go ahead." Batman nodded.

Pyro typed out a call and Adjutant's avatar began floating above the conference room table.

"Good evening, Aqualad. Batman," Adjutant greeted.

"Good evening, Adjutant," Aqualad returned with a smile. "We have a problem and Pyroclasm believes you can help us."

"I'd be glad to lend my assistance," Adjutant replied. "What is the problem?"

"We have a mole on the team," Pyro replied. "We need to find out who."

"Would you like me to calculate a top five list?" Adjutant asked.

"We also need to know why you've eliminated people from suspicion," Pyro responded. "So, walk us through it."

"Of course," Adjutant replied. "Superboy can be considered above suspicion because his trigger phrases were removed. M'gann M'orzz can also be excused, she came from Mars with Martian Manhunter and it is unlikely the Shadows influence reaches outside of Earth."

"I agree with this reasoning," Aqualad. "What are your thoughts on Robin and Kid Flash?"

"Both can be considered above suspicion, as the probability of them being a spy is beneath one percent," Adjutant replied. "Given that Cadmus had attempted to murder and clone them and you, Aqualad, I would like to submit 'terminated and replaced' as a possible motive for the mole. Such an agent may be a sleeper agent with trigger words."

"We could have the Manhunter and Ms. Martian search suspects minds for trigger words," Aqualad suggested.

"If the mole is a sleeper agent, it would be an effective way of rooting them out," Batman agreed.

"I'm going to have to object," Pyroclasm replied. "I'm still new to the whole leader role, and I have yet to earn the teams trust. If it got out that we had the Martian's brain scanned everyone, even if we found the mole, that would damage future efforts to get their trust in the future."

"How so?" Aqualad asked with narrowed eyes.

"I refuse to let anyone in my head," Pyro answered. "I've nearly gotten killed over that fact with my implant. The fact that I was involved in something that I hadn't gone through myself would _not_ go over well."

"It may not be necessary," Adjutant replied. "We could simply subject the team to a test with Wonder Woman's Lasso of Truth."

"I'd be fine with that," Pyro nodded.

"Why didn't I think of that?" Aqualad asked with a relieved smile on his face. "The mole would be exposed in moments!"

"We would have to respect the right of anyone to refuse the test," Batman reminded them. "And it is highly unlikely that anyone who joined the team yesterday would be a spy."

"So, then who are our suspects?" Pyro asked. "No one on the original team is a suspect and the new guys didn't get involved in the hero scene until yesterday. Literally."

"There is only one whose chances are, pending more data, above fifty percent," Adjutant replied. "Artemis."

"Artemis being a spy would be the worst news I've ever heard," Pyro replied with a growl.

"I do not believe that she is," Batman answered. "Her mother, the former super-criminal Huntress, has reformed since getting out of prison. She stays with her."

"Have I told you how much I respect and appreciate your skills as the worlds greatest detective?" Pyro asked rhetorically.

"Focus," Batman replied. "According to you, Adjutant, the Titans as a whole are innocent beyond reasonable doubt."

"That is correct," Adjutant replied.

"That means that the mole is within the Justice League," Aqualad concluded with wide eyes.

"Assuming the mole exists in the first place," Pyro interjected.

"We can only hope," Aqualad replied.

"I will handle the investigation from here," Batman replied, standing up. "Try to act as if everything is normal and do not breath a word of this to the rest of the team."

"Batman, forgive me, but there is one more suspect who is neither a member of the Justice League or the Titans." Adjutant said. "Red Arrow."

"He is above suspicion," Aqualad replied. "He was there in Rhelasia and was just as surprised as I was to learn of the mole."

"Killed and replaced," Pyro pointed out flatly. "Sleeper agent."

"In addition, he has spent much time on his own," Adjutant supplied. "Giving any handlers he has plenty of opportunities to supply him with orders."

Aqualad and Batman looked at each other.

"If that's true, it would've had to have happened a long time ago," Batman said neutrally.

"He's always been driven, speaking of his desire to join the Justice League," Aqualad continued. Then he shook his head. "It's a theory, but a theory is not evidence."

"So, do a lasso test," Pyro replied. "He wants to join the Justice League, right? Offer him membership as bait. He should have no reason to refuse and then he'll speak the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth."

Batman looked at Pyro, then at Adjutant and then at Aqualad. "The League will decide how we are to proceed. We will ask Green Arrow his opinion. In the meantime, the team is to train and undergo missions as if nothing is wrong. Adjutant, if you'll continue to run calculations as Pyro feeds you data?"

"Of course," Adjutant replied.

* * *

"So, explain this to me again," Donna requested. "You created people that live in computers that do all of your study and theorizing for you?"

"That's correct," Pyro said with a nod.

"And you did this," Donna continued, gesturing like she was moving from one box to another. "By telling the computers how to build them using secret code."

"Pretty much, yeah."

"Man's world is very," Donna paused to find the right words. "Strange to me."

"Well, woman's island would probably give me a headache," Pyro replied with a large smirk apparent in his tone. "So, I'd say it's fair."

"Themyscera isn't-" Donna began hotly but she was cut off.

A single screen appeared in the center of the room. "Good evening, Titans. I am Adjutant, Pyroclasm's secretary and security expert."

"Adjutant, you've met Aqualad, so this is Robin, Kid Flash…" Pyro began rattling off introductions, getting to Raven last. "Everyone, Adjutant."

"I have so many questions," Robin gushed. "What's the framework Pyro used to make you?"

Adjutant didn't answer immediately. "Pyroclasm?"

"Barebones only," Pyro responded.

Robin groaned in disappointment.

"Acknowledged," Adjutant replied. "My framework is largely based on the Recursive Extrapolation Dynamic framework developed by T.O Morrow for his infiltration androids. Pyro modified and adjusted it, calling his variation the Fully Recursive Identification and Extrapolation of Symbolic Elements framework or 'FRIESE'."

"Oh, so what kind of adjustments did he make?" Robin asked.

"First, he slaved my decision-making process to my Personality Matrix," Adjutant answered. "The second was streamlining the process using shortcuts made available by modern technology. I do not believe I can go into specifics as of yet."

"Correct," Pyro added with a nod.

"You are just a massive killjoy, aren't you?" Robin asked, his eyes narrowing behind his sunglasses.

"And proud of it," Pyro responded in kind.

"So how many of there are you?" Kid Flash asked with a suspicious glance.

"He has created four separate Artificial Intelligences to handle separate fields of research and development," Adjutant answered. "I am the first, therefore I have been entrusted with first contact with other human beings."

"Why not just run separate instances of you to handle separate tasks?" Kid Flash asked, eyes narrowing further.

"Pyro seemed to be under the impression that we both could use additional friends in our circle," Adjutant replied brightly. "I had similar objections, but the arrangement has been satisfactory for all parties."

"Best not let Jaina hear you say that," Pyro chimed in cheerfully. "She might curse you or something."

"We've already spoken about this at length. You do not need to worry about any surprise repercussions," Adjutant replied. Then there was the sound of a beep. "Hm. You have new mail."

"What kind of mail?" Pyro asked.

"Hate mail," Adjutant replied. "Shall I dispose of it or prepare it to be read?"

"You get hate mail?" Kid Flash asked, his eyebrows rising in surprise.

"It's my crowning achievement as a human being," Pyro replied with a satisfied nod. "It means I've pissed off all the right people."

"Alright then," Kid Flash muttered to himself. "I should've guessed. What'd you do?"

"That's for me to know," Pyro replied, all his mirth replaced by a cool indifference. "And for you to hopefully never find out."

"Secret identity?" Kid Flash asked.

"Obviously. Adjutant, prepare the letter to be read. Any death threats this time?"

"No, just angry ranting," Adjutant replied, sounding like she had grown more disappointed in humanity.

"So, uh," Zatanna started. "Don't take this the wrong way, and…I hope you don't mind me asking, why do you look like that?"

She was gesturing to the thick cables and pipes jutting out of Adjutant's bald head.

"Pyroclasm had a neo-cyberpunk aesthetic in mind while designing my avatar," Adjutant replied kindly. "It's an art style. Speaking personally, I'm quite fond of it."

"Oh," Zatanna said with a blush. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to be offensive."

"Nonsense," Adjutant waved it off.

"If you have to be afraid to ask a question, there is something wrong," Pyro pointed out, folding his arms. "So, don't apologize. You're fine."

"Do the things coming out of your head," Donna began. "Do they hurt?"

"No," Adjutant answered, still kind and perhaps a little amused. "But I thank you for your concern."

"I just wanted to make sure," Donna replied, folding her arms and looking at Pyro.

"So, do they not have computers on Themyscera?" Pyro asked curiously.

"No," Donna shook her head. "Princess Diana and Queen Hippolyta have both been trying to import them but, and this is only what I've heard in passing, that Aphrodite and Hera have both banned them from Themyscera indefinitely."

"I wonder why," Pyro said, tapping his chin.

"I can put together a few theories if you'd prefer, Pyroclasm," Adjutant offered.

"Later."

"Of course."

"I had a question," Raven said, slowly raising her hand.

"Go ahead," Adjutant said.

"Was Pyroclasm trying to give you a soul when he…wrote you?" Raven asked pointedly.

"Not deliberately." Pyro shook his head. "I was more concerned with making someone I could actually stand to be around. Why? Does she have a soul?"

"She does," Raven said, her head tilting. "It's strange, seeing it inhabit that part of space, trailing off deeper in the cave and then somewhere in…Gotham City?"

Pyro looked at Adjutant, then back to Raven.

"That answers a question we've had for a long time," Adjutant said brightly. "Thank you for your question, Raven. We all appreciate what you've just told us."

"You're welcome," Raven replied with a shrug.

"Any other questions for her?" Pyro asked.

"Well, I had some questions," Tempest raised his hand. "I heard King Orin speak of something called the Prometheus Rite?"

"Pyroclasm?"

"Barebones," Pyro replied. "And make it a half-skeleton."

"Acknowledged…"

* * *

"To answer your question, yes," Kent said, nodding his head. "There are detection spells capable of analyzing a body."

"There is no way it's that simple," Mike responded with half-closed eyes. "What's the catch?"

"None of them are in depth enough to scan DNA," Kent answered.

"That figures." Mike sighed in exasperation. "I don't suppose you guys have a way of increasing the power and depth of these spells?"

"Jaina will need to figure that out for herself," Nabu replied. "Now, there have been no further complications, with your implant, yes?"

"Everything's fine," Mike responded.

"Good," Nabu replied. "Good."

"So, as far as I know, the proposal to have a team of Atlanteans wear the helmet of Fate is under consideration," Mike reported. "I also ran the idea of putting a job listing out on the internet past Batman, but he shot that down without a second thought."

"That is for the best," Nabu replied. "The Agents of Chaos are a crafty and deceitful lot. If one were to obtain the helmet, even for a moment, the world would be in incalculable danger."

"There just has to be a way for me to start looking for a host," Mike replied with narrowed eyes. "Seriously, I can't just walk up to random people and ask 'hey, are you magically inclined and want to be a Lord of Order for your day job?' Throw me a bone, Nabu."

"The boy has a point, Nabu," Kent entreated with a frown.

Nabu sighed. "Very well. I suppose Fate must occasionally be forced. Write a letter to one Jason Blood, he lives in Gotham. When you can, perform the Cosmic Communication Ritual stored in the Tower's library and use it to contact the Phantom Stranger. Both of them will know enough to point you on the right track."

"Jason blood, Cosmic Communication Ritual," Mike repeated, nodding to himself. "Got it. Anything else?"

"In a few days, you might find yourself receiving an electronic message from one called John Constantine," Nabu added. "You will ignore this plea for help and any subsequent messages. If you do not, it is highly likely that you will die."

"That name seems familiar," Mike said, rubbing his head. "But I can't remember. Is he a villain or…?"

"Nominally, he's a hero whose allies end up sacrificed in whatever scheme he creates to save the world," Kent answered with a grave expression, placing a hand on Mike's shoulder. "Do not be one of them. No matter how desperate the message sounds, he does not need your help to solve the issue. He has plenty of allies willing to die for his cause."

"Are you sure I can't help and take the body count from one to zero?" Mike asked with a frown.

"Zatara once thought as you did," Nabu replied. "It is why he is a Widower."

"Seems legit," Pyro replied. "Don't work with Constantine. Got it."

"After you have grown in power and age, you may consider assisting him," Nabu relented. "But as you are now, you are no match for what you would encounter while working with him."

"It sounds like getting involved with him is just suicide regardless," Mike answered. "So no thank you. Besides, how would he get enough information to try to seek me out?"

"You are the caretaker for the Helmet of Fate," Nabu replied.

"That's it?" Mike asked, thunderstruck.

"That is all."

"That's all he needs to have heard of me," Mike replied with a croak in his voice. "Who else knows about me?"

"Jason Blood and the Phantom Stranger," Nabu replied. "But there are others. They have not made a move, especially since I have fortified your home against intruders. But you must move swiftly, Michael. Time is of the essence."

"You've mentioned that before," Mike took a breath. "And you're right. I'll get a move on. So, what's on the docket for my lesson on Order Magic?"

"Well, first we're going to review," Kent began, clearing his throat. "How have you been doing on containing and funneling your explosions?"

"It's amazing," Mike said, a wide smile growing on his lips. "You remember how I was able to slow my fall in the tower with a stream of fire?"

"I do," Kent nodded.

"Adding order magic to funnel the explosions I can make just made it dozens of times more efficient," Mike gushed, still smiling. "I can actually _fly_ now. Well, jetpack. Rocket jumping is still more effective in terms of distance I can cross because funneling the explosion takes more energy, but it's definitely the start of something good."

"So, as we've discussed, you cannot force your medium, your fire, to go against it's nature," Kent replied. "But we're instead going to theorize on how to use it's nature to get the results that we want."

"Like what?" Mike asked with interest.

"Healing," Kent answered. "You seemed very eager to learn how to do this and disappointed when you learned that your magical medium would prevent this. Well, as you know, fire is all about death and renewal."

"Oh, I get what you're trying to say," Mike started nodding with a thoughtful expression. "Of course, that means you're going to teach me how to cauterize a person's wound in order to renew the flesh that got burned. You do remember that, for normal people, that's insanely painful?"

"So, this is where the Order Magic comes in," Kent replied. "You may be able to hasten the process so much that they barely feel any pain before the renewal is completed."

"That might be good." Mike slowly started nodding as he considered the idea. "It might be my best option."

"You'll have to hold your lesson for a moment," Nabu said. "A lot of chaos magic was used in that warehouse. Klarion was here."

"Okay, we got to look sharp," Mike said, looking down at the image of what Nabu was seeing, a warehouse in Central City that was surrounded by police cars and SWAT vans.

Doctor Fate simply touched down in front of the warehouse and opened the door with magic. Behind him, Mike could make out the officers arguing about something, likely the appearance of Doctor Fate.

Inside…were bodies. Bodies that looked like they had been partially transformed into elementals.

The Lord of Order's boots splashed into something as he touched down on the ground. A quick glance downward revealed a puddle of melting blood.

Mike's skin went ghost white.

* * *

"So please tell me we're doing something about that slaughter in Central city," Pyro asked, taking a seat.

"Zatara has examined the crime scene and we are working on tracking Klarion's movements," Batman replied. "And Doctor Fate, as you know, examined the scene himself."

"If this is the kind of crap that Klarion gets up to in his free time, Dr. Fate needs a new host," Pyro retorted. "He needs someone that can wear the helmet of fate twenty-four seven. Pronto."

"I assume he's assisting you in that search," Batman asked.

"He was literally waiting for 'Fate' to deliver a host on a silver platter," Pyro explained with irritation. "I convinced him to throw me a bone; someone named Jason Blood and another guy called 'the Phantom Stranger'? They'll point me in the right direction."

"When you have succeeded, we'll call the vote to allow Doctor Fate onto the Justice League," Batman replied. "We could use his assistance in locking Klarion away from Earth. Permanently."

"Can't do it permanently," Pyro shook his head. "But if you can kill his familiar, you'll take him out of the game for centuries. At least that's what Nabu told me."

"By the time Klarion returns, we'll be in the grave," Batman pointed out. "It's the same result; we won't need to deal with him again."

"Point." Pyro nodded.

The door to the conference room opened and Aqualad entered. "Forgive me, I got tied up for a moment answering Troia's questions."

"What did she want to know?" Pyro asked curiously.

"How we intend to use her skills during missions," Aqualad replied. "She's looking like another Superboy in functionality, so she'll be our front liner when we need one."

"I agree," Pyro nodded.

"Now, I understand you had another mission for us, Batman?" Aqualad said, taking the seat opposite of Pyro.

"Two, actually," Batman said, clicking a button on the remote, causing two screens to appear above the table. "The first is the culmination of months of investigation. As you are all aware, on July 4th, Icicle Junior, Captain Cold, Killer Frost and Mr. Freeze attacked at the same time. To add to this, Mr. Freeze sued to be tried as sane and as a result, he is being transported to Belle Reve prison alongside the other ice villains."

"They're planning something," Pyro said automatically.

"We need to find out what," Aqualad added, his eyes narrowing. "You have a plan, Batman?"

Batman clicked forward on the remote. The image of the four frost villains switched to an image of two Super Powered teenagers with platinum blonde hair. "These are the Terror twins, Tommy and Tuppence. They have been committing crimes in Central City and we have been tracking their movements for several days now."

"Conner and Tommy share similar facial features," Aqualad pointed out. "Perhaps we could have Conner and Ms. Martian impersonate the twins in Belle Reve, have them find out what the plan is and stop it from the inside?"

"Nah, no point." Pyro shook his head. "Just call one of the ice villains to interrogation with one of the Martian's out of sight reading their mind. Get them thinking about their plan, have the Martian's pick out what they're thinking and then have the Prison itself stop it. No risk to the team and whatever they're planning gets smashed before it even has a chance to begin."

"It would be an excellent introduction to infiltration and disguise work," Batman pointed out.

"True, but it would be better if we put our potential infiltrators amongst enemies that they have a good chance of beating if things go wrong for their first mission," Pyro pointed out. "That is _not_ a prison full of super criminals."

Aqualad smiled. "It did not take you long to justify your appointment as my second."

"Give it a few days, I'll find a way to ruin it."

"The second mission takes place all the way in Alaska," Batman moved on without another word. "This is Haines state forest and this is a picture of a bear the state troopers managed to bring down…"

* * *

"Apparently, someone has taken to playing Mad Scientist with the wildlife up there," Pyro summed up, gesturing to the pictures behind him. "Our job is simple, find them and stop them if possible."

The pictures behind them showed a bear whose fur coat had been torn open by bulging muscle mass and spikes poking through the skin, the mouth filled with extra sets of teeth. Another picture was of a bird, given an extra set of wings and legs just lying on the ground.

"Robin, you are on console duty," Aqualad instructed with a straight look. "You will remain on the ship and provide mission control. Artemis, take plenty of explosive arrows. We ship out in thirty minutes."

"I'm on console duty?" Robin asked, looking affronted.

"We don't need a ninja to clear out what looks to be some kind of bioweapon outbreak," Pyro explained.

"At least not until we've gotten a good read of the area and can pinpoint where the outbreak came from," Aqualad added. "Then we can reevaluate who goes where. Your job is just as important as the rest of ours."

"Why is Artemis on the ground team?" Robin asked.

"Her bow affords her greater effective range than throwable shuriken," Aqualad answered with a shrug. "You are our team's computer expert, so the task has landed on your shoulders."

Robin grunted. "Fine."

"Uh, this doesn't seem like a covert mission," Zatanna raised her hand with a frown.

"That's because it's not," Pyro replied.

"Batman is entrusting this to us as a test," Aqualad began to explain. "We have been a team for months now and have dealt with several missions that turned out to be more dangerous than anticipated. This is our chance to prove that we're ready for more traditional superhero fare."

"Alright!" Kid Flash fist-pumped with a huge grin. "Let's get this show on the road!"

"Finally," Superboy grunted in approval.

"The Bioship already has our Hazard suits onboard," Ms. Martian reported with a smile. "Batman had them delivered earlier."

"Good," Aqualad nodded. "Very good. We will need them."

"The hazard protection is non-negotiable," Pyro replied, folding his arms. "You _will_ wear it on this mission. Even if they're not your style."

Superboy growled in annoyance. "Fine."

"Good," Pyro nodded.

"Dismissed," Aqualad said. "We leave in thirty, so say your goodbyes and be at the Bioship at that time."

"So, uh, good luck," Zatanna said with a wave. "Don't get sick and mutated."

"Come back to us," Donna placed her hands on her hips. "I'd hate to lose one of you before we even had a chance to fight alongside one another."

"Oh, we'll do our best," Pyro said easily. "That's usually more than enough."

At that point, the rest of the team broke up into conversations.

"Good luck, Kaldur," Garth said, placing a shoulder on Aqualad's arm.

"Thank you," Aqualad returned with a smile.

"Be careful," Tula added. "We'd hate to see you get hurt."

Meanwhile, Kid Flash was talking with Robin.

"Sorry you're stuck at the console," Kid Flash offered in sympathy.

"I better not be there the whole mission," Robin grumbled in annoyance. "I can be a computer expert on the ground too."

* * *

 _Author's Note: Hopefully you guys all enjoyed this chapter and weren't too turned off by the previous chapter with Klarion's shenanigans. Let me know what you thought, we're diving head first into the next mission. Not much else to say here._

 _Shout out goes out too_ Melden V, Anders Kronquist, Ray Tony Song, makopaulo, Volkogluk, Aaron Bjornson, iolande, Martin Auguado, Julio, Jiopaba, Hackerham, Tim Collins-Squire, Maben00, Sultan Saltlick, PostLifeSyndrome, Ventari _and_ PbookR. _You guys are awesome, thank you for your continued support._

 _Until the next time!_

 _~Fulcon_


	23. Chapter 23: Cauterize the Infection

_The following is a fanbased work of fiction._ _The following is a fanbased work of fiction. Young Justice is property of DC Comics, Warner Brothers and Greg Weisman – please support the official release._

* * *

 _We're approaching_ _Alaska,_ Ms. Martian reported, sitting at the captain's chair with her legs crossed. _ETA, five minutes._

 _Satellite Imagery shows two main areas of infestation,_ Aqualad began, pulling the image up on everyone's console. _A large section of forestry and the cave up to the north west. Pyro, Artemis and Superboy will be deployed at the edge of the infested forest while Kid Flash, Ms. Martian and Myself will deploy at the cave entrance._

 _Your Hazard protection is about as durable as your normal costume, but I'd still try to avoid taking hits,_ Pyro added.

 _What about you?_ Kid Flash asked, gesturing at Pyro. He was wearing a full-body costume with a gas-mask attached to his face, the only distinguishing mark being his insignia and the lightning bolts on his ears.

 _I checked with Green Arrow, I've got Hazard Protection built into my costume_ , Pyro replied. _So, I didn't have to change anything._

 _Good to know,_ Artemis piped up, her midriff baring costume switched out for a similar full-body yet form-fitting hazmat suit. _I can't wait to get this over with, this thing is itchy._

 _I'll bet you miss that tankini top, huh?_ Pyro asked cheerfully.

 _Seriously_ , Artemis agreed. _Feels like I've been mummified._

 _Tell me about it,_ Superboy snarled. He was wearing a grey, form fitting suit with a Superman emblem on the front. His blue gloves and boots were heavily padded with withstand the impacts that Superboy would be subjecting them too. _I'm half-Kryptonian, do I really have to wear this?_

 _Yes,_ Kid Flash nodded insistently. _Even if you're immune, you could be a carrier._

 _If your suit breaks, you'll need to be scrubbed from top to bottom by a team of hazard specialists,_ Aqualad added. _And then you'll be placed in quarantine until they're sure you are clean, which may take several days._

 _So, unless you_ want _that kind of loving attention,_ Pyro finished. _Keep your suit on._

 _Fine_ , Superboy grumbled and raised no further objection.

 _We've hit the edge of the infested area,_ Ms. Martian reported. _I don't want to get any closer in case the bioship can catch whatever's down there._

Artemis, Pyro and Superboy all marched to the open hatch. Pyro and Artemis started hooking lines to their costumes while Superboy simply jumped down through the hatch. _When we get down there, I'm going to start a controlled burn. Turn that section of the forest to ash._

 _You can keep the rest of the forest from burning down, right?_ Aqualad asked.

 _Easily,_ Pyro replied dismissively. _After we're done there, we'll rendezvous with you at the mouth of the cave._

 _Bear in mind that you're also to gather samples of infected material_ , Aqualad pointed out.

 _I'll take care of that before I start my forest fire,_ Pyro assured as Artemis jumped down the hole.

 _Then we'll see you once you've completed your task,_ Aqualad bade farewell.

Without another word, Pyro hopped out. The air blowing past his helmet ringing in his ears as he made his descent. With relief, he noted that his suits internal thermometer was keeping a steady one-hundred degrees Fahrenheit in spite of the cold Alaskan weather.

He touched down and unbuckled the line. The bioship flew off to the next drop with the other team.

"Comm Check," Robin's voice sounded in Pyro's ear.

"Pyroclasm, ready for operations," Pyro sounded back.

"Artemis, ready," Artemis also replied.

"This is Superboy," Superboy rounded off.

"Alright, Aqualad says to proceed to the target area," Robin reported, sounding bored. "Each of you get a few samples before Pyro starts his burn. Also, Pyro? This is a state Park. Don't burn the whole thing."

"Wait, can you even start a fire?" Artemis asked. "This being a state park and all?"

"According to the briefing, we got a blank check to stop the outbreak," Pyro answered, rolling his shoulders. "Anything within our power were the exact words. So, setting the infected part of the forest on fire is absolutely within our power."

"Oh, okay." Artemis nodded. "Just checking."

"Let's move out," Pyro ordered, pointing ahead toward their destination.

It didn't take them very long to find the infected area. The first signs were the trees, spots on their trunks and branches that were black with some kind of pulsing mucus that made Pyro grow more and more uneasy. His hands caught fire as something behind the trees rushed up into the canopy.

Superboy took a vial from his belt and reached for one of the spots. He tore a section out with his fingers and placed it in the vial.

Pyro looked down at his feet and saw the corpse of a red squirrel that looked like it had been squished flat by _something_ , the black mucus on the trees hugging the edge of the corpse like it was slowly devouring it.

 _I keep thinking this is reminding me of something_ , Pyro thought to himself as he scooped some samples into his vials. _But what? What was the name of that alien race that ate everything in its path in StarCraft? Zerg? I feel like this is the start of some kind of Zerg infestation, but that's not quite right. I can still see the ground beneath my feet and I'm not walking in this black biomatter._

Artemis yelped in surprise, drawing her bow and letting loose an explosive arrow right into the tree in front of her. The trunk exploded, black mucus going everywhere and the tree fell.

"Yikes," Pyro said, rolling his shoulders. "What happened?"

"One of those black spots turned into an eye!" Artemis replied, breathing heavily reaching back and grabbing another arrow. "Freaked me out."

"Well it can't hurt you anymore," Pyro said, sounding amused.

"This isn't funny, Pyro," Artemis retorted, sounding hurt.

"You blew it to smithereens," Pyro answered. "That's hilarious. You got your samples?"

"Yes," Artemis replied, a little surly.

"I got mine," Superboy answered.

"Cool. Time to set the world on fire."

* * *

 _Stay alert,_ Aqualad ordered, pointing down the mouth of the cave with one of his aqua-machetes. _We do not know what monstrosities have been allowed to grow beneath the surface of the earth._

 _You want me to run in there really quick and get a look?_ Kid Flash asked.

 _Yes. Watch for drop offs_ , Aqualad replied with a nod. _Ms. Martian, if you'd scan for thoughts down below?_

 _Got it,_ Ms. Martian acknowledged energetically. Mentally, she hummed. _It sounds like there's animals down there alright. Lots of them. And…I think I can sense human thoughts, but they're unconscious._

 _Of course, there's hostages involved,_ Kid Flash sounded disgusted. _All the mad scientists want test subjects, screw ethics._

 _Focus, Wally,_ Aqualad admonished. _What do you see?_

 _The walls are coated in this black mucus stuff,_ Kid Flash reported. _Also, on the walls and ceiling, there's these sleeping, giant bugs. No, bats. Armored, fleshy bats._

 _Ms. Martian, are they actually sleeping?_ Aqualad asked, rolling his shoulders to try to get the suit to stop itching his arms.

 _No, they're waiting for you to walk in a little further to cut off your escape,_ Ms. Martian replied. _You're making them hungry. Get out of there!_

 _Hey, relax, there is no way that they'll be able to catch me_ , Kid Flash retorted, sounding offended.

 _Kid Flash, return to the entrance of the cave,_ Aqualad ordered. _We'll begin our attack methodically._

 _Yes, Aqualad,_ Kid Flash sighed in annoyance before he bolted back toward the cave entrance.

 _That woke them up_ , Ms. Martian reported. _They're getting ready for an attack._

 _So, what's the plan then, team leader?_ Kid Flash asked as he zipped back up to his teammates.

 _Ms. Martian, can you use your telekinesis to destroy their brains?_ Aqualad asked.

 _…yes,_ Ms. Martian replied, dragging out the word as long as possible. _It won't be pretty, though._

 _Then here's the plan,_ Aqualad began, turning his machetes to tower-shields. _I will take point. While they focus on me, Kid Flash will run interference and act as a buffer to keep too many of them from overwhelming me. Ms. Martian, you will kill each creature by destroying their brains. If we come to a truly overwhelming number or some other obstacle, we will fall back and wait for the others._

"Team 1, come in," Robin rang through on the communicator.

"Aqualad to Robin," Aqualad replied. "What's up."

"Pyro wanted me to let you know that he's started the fire," Robin reported. "Once it's all ash, Team 2 will be on their way to rendezvous with you."

"Understood. Let him know we're heading inside and he can meet us there," Aqualad explained. "Aqualad out."

 _So, who wants to be that they're going to encounter a giant monster of some kind now that they're burning everything to the ground?_ Kid Flash asked sardonically.

 _I hope not,_ Ms. Martian replied with a frown. _I'd like to get the whole team back together as quickly as possible._

 _Let's move in,_ Aqualad cut off further discussion. _We should look to establish a safe position after we've dealt with the initial guards. Once Team 2 has rendezvoused with us, we can press further and find whose responsible for this._

With that, the trio walked down into the cave.

Inside was a spacious chamber. A tiny stream ran through broken rocks and disappeared through a crack in the opposite wall. Directly ahead was a small tunnel entrance. They could hear the clacking of claws agitatedly moving from the other side as they each pressed against the stone walls on either side.

 _They're ready for us to charge in,_ Ms. Martian reported. _They're…hungry. Salivating._

 _How many of them are there?_ Aqualad asked.

 _Over two dozen,_ Kid Flash answered. _Easily._

 _Okay, Ms. Martian? Do you need to see them in order to destroy them?_ Aqualad asked.

 _It would help, but no,_ Ms. Martian replied.

 _Okay,_ Aqualad stated with a nod. _Give me a moment._

With the first water-bearer, he encased the entrance in a thick film of water, turning it into a wall. With the second, he created a cord with both ends staked into the stone to brace him against the door. _Ms. Martian, whenever you're ready._

 _Try to keep it quiet, I'll need to concentrate,_ Ms. Martian said, getting down on her knees and closing her eyes.

After a moment, the affects of her meditation were becoming apparent. Screeches that wouldn't have been out of place in the pits of hell seemed to echo through holes in the stone, leading from one cavern to another.

Aqualad felt himself start as one of the creatures, a large bat that looked larger than Superboy charged into the wall that he was maintaining, ramming into it. Its head reminded Aqualad of one of the larger beetles on the surface, a large horn jutting from its nose. Then it fell back slightly and charged again. And again. Then the tunnel beyond it started to fill with the creatures.

Each of the creatures were trying to ram through the tunnel, so much so that the one in front looked less like he was charging and more like he was being violently shoved into the water-wall. Aqualad felt the shock of each push through his arms. The creature just behind the wall was leaving black stains of blood with each shove and it looked less and less cognizant with each push.

Finally, the stone around the wall gave away, crumbling before the might of the swarm of monsters on the other side. Aqualad, deprived of his anchors was shoved back as over twenty of the beasts scampered and trampled over the corpses of those that had been crushed on the water-wall.

"Woah!" Kid Flash shouted, flying into a zig-zag pattern, ramming right into one of the bats and throwing it to the side before it could chomp on Ms. Martian's head.

In a swirl of water, Aqualad was on his feet again, aqua-machetes in his hands as he charged forward.

* * *

The forest fire had started well enough. The snow around them started to melt as the bark of the trees caught fire. While Pyro had been busy keeping the fire from spreading outside of the infected area, the spots of black mucus had started to fall from the trees. By the time that Superboy called out that the spots were moving, it was a little late.

A massive, congealed black monster _thing_ made of trees and black mucus had emerged from the center, a roar emanating from one of its giant maws filled to the brim with teeth and multiple tongues. It charged forward at the group.

"Being completely honest," Pyro started, holding balls of fire in his hand. "I really should've seen this coming."

"How do you figure?" Artemis asked over the comms as she grappled up into the tree line behind them.

"It's just an unconscious feeling," Pyro said, hands raised and fire flowing from them like a pair of rocket engines. "Like it was really obvious in hindsight that these things would have some form of defense mechanism, you know?"

Now the monster of muck and wood was on fire and didn't look happy about it at all. Superboy, hefting a tree that he had ripped right out of the ground, slammed the thing's head into the ground. Pyro then jetted off into the air with a might explosion, shoving it into the tree line behind it and leaving black mucus to cover the floor.

"As in just because that's how it goes in the super hero business?" Artemis asked quizzically, letting loose a salvo of three explosive arrows turning large circular chunks of the branches that made up the monster making it scream. Whether in rage or pain, it was difficult to say.

"Yeah," Pyro nodded stopping his fall with a pair of flame jets from his shoulders. "Just a niggling little thing in the back of my head."

"Can you two focus?" Superboy cut in abruptly, hitting the monster again with the massive tree. "You can bicker _after_ we've killed this thing."

"Honestly, I think you've got it," Pyro replied easily, extending a hand and setting the end of Superboy's improvised club ablaze. "Keep whacking at it, it might spew out candy."

Superboy just looked at the new blaze with a shrug before he hit it again. He took another swing and the monster caught the end that was on fire with a massive clawed hand, only to scream in pain as the fire burned through it.

"Come on, jawbreaker," Artemis said with anticipation, letting out another pair of arrows that separated the arm from the rest of the body with their explosions.

Then Pyro let out another stream of fire, but at this point, the monster was a burning husk that had stopped moving. Superboy brought the tree down and rammed the burning end into the monster's ashen corpse and straightened out.

"That was easy," Artemis said with some surprise. "When I saw that thing, I thought we were in for a real fight."

"It was made of wood and slime," Pyro pointed out with a shrug. "With our explosions, and some fire, it didn't stand a chance. Superboy's club kind of just clinched it. Good thinking, by the way."

"Thanks," Superboy replied, rolling his shoulder.

"Team 2, come in," Robin came through on the communicator. "What's your status?"

"This is Pyro. Infected forest is on fire. We took out some giant monstrosity, I don't know if you saw," Pyro answered. "I'm still monitoring the fire to make sure it doesn't go where we don't want, but we've more or less got it handled. How's Team 1?"

"They're holding the line," Robin replied, sounding a little surly. "The caves full of these mutated bat-things. You might want to get over there."

"I'm sure they'll be fine," Pyro waved off. "By the way, can you see how large the fire is from up there? I'd like to get an estimate how much larger I need to make it."

"You've got the south-eastern third of the area uncovered," Robin answered. "Can you pick up the pace?"

"I could, but I don't want to burn down the park," Pyro replied. "As fun as fires are in the middle of a forest, you don't want to be dumb and rush them."

Robin groaned in annoyance before he hung up.

"What if they're in trouble?" Superboy asked, sounding irritated.

"Relax, Ms. Martian's got camouflage and telekinesis," Pyro pointed out. "She'll be fine and so will Aqualad and Kid Flash."

Superboy grunted and folded his arms. "I hope you're right."

"So, Pyro," Artemis started, rolling her shoulders. "About that thing we talked about a couple days ago?"

"Giving you super powers?" Pyro asked. When she nodded, he continued. "What about it?"

"Well, I've kind of been thinking about which element I'd want," Artemis began, placing her hands on her hips. "I'm kind of torn between Air and Plants."

"Alright," Pyro nodded, pausing the conversation by letting loose a massive jet of fire through a thicket of trees that looked like they had been infected, but hadn't caught fire. "What's got you torn?"

"Well, if I pick air, I'd probably be able to fly, right?" Artemis asked.

"Pretty sure. Wouldn't have to worry about falling to your death either," Pyro replied, marching forward.

Superboy's eyes had narrowed as he watched his two teammates talking, following along after them as a silent eavesdropper as they walked forward.

"But see if I did that, I'd be able to just fling my arrows without a bow, right?" Artemis asked. "Just use wind?"

"Most likely."

"I want to keep my bow," Artemis affirmed, sounding unsure as she looked at the instrument of war in her hands.

Pyro stopped to look at her for a solid few moments in a way that made Artemis feel like she was being harshly judged. Knowing him, that's exactly what it was. But when he finally replied, it was not hot slag that came from his mouth, but a question. "Alright. I'm guessing that's why Plants are on the table, right?"

"Yeah," Artemis nodded. "I mean, I'd be able to create a new bow out of magic wood. But then I'm wondering if I'd have to keep a garden or something to grow plants."

"I don't need to have a second-hand source for my flames," Pyro pointed out. "I seriously doubt you'd need to pick up gardening to keep plant powers viable."

"Are you sure?" Artemis asked with a frown.

"Pretty sure you'd be able to grow plants on your person," Pyro nodded rapidly. "You could replicate all the gadgets and stuff you currently use out of plants. I don't think you'd need a lot of botanical knowledge, either."

"What makes you say that?" Artemis asked, raising a fascinated eyebrow. "Because that was another question I had."

"Because I'd literally be gluing the essence of plants to your immortal soul," Pyro pointed out. "I didn't know a whole lot about fire before I glued a fire elemental to my soul but now it's mostly entirely instinctual. I suppose if I really tried, I could itemize all the information about fire onto a document but I haven't really needed too. Pretty sure it'll wind up that way for you too."

"But it'd be the same thing for air, right?" Artemis asked.

"Undoubtedly."

"Am I annoying you?" Artemis asked, eyes narrowing.

"Nope."

"It feels like I am."

"Why do you say that?"

"Because you're getting short."

"Uh huh."

"Now you're trying to be annoying."

"Maybe."

Artemis growled. "Fine, maybe I won't go through with it."

"You might find some other way of getting super powers," Pyro responded idly, sending another burst of flame up a tree and spreading it to the ones behind it.

"Maybe I will!" Artemis stomped forward and off to the side.

Superboy caught up to Pyro, looking at Artemis oddly. "What was that about?"

"Eh, she's got jitters about someone messing around with her soul," Pyro replied, shrugging as they continued on. "That, and I think she caught on to my opinion on her pointy stick launcher. No big deal."

"You didn't even say anything," Superboy pointed.

"That doesn't matter, I think we know each other pretty well," Pyro replied with a nod. "Yeah, I think that's what it was."

"Are you going to apologize?" Superboy asked.

"For what, having an opinion?" Pyro rejoined. "I didn't say anything."

Superboy shrugged in acquiescence.

"Anyway, what's up?"

"Look, you and Artemis were talking about giving her super powers," Superboy answered. "Do you think, that…"

"You want in on the action too?" Pyro asked.

"Yeah," Superboy muttered in response. "I don't want plant powers or anything crazy like that, I just want to…I want to fly."

Pyro's head tilted in response. "You want the complete power set."

Superboy nodded.

"Well, I could introduce you to my doctor and he could talk to you about your options," Pyro suggested. "There's probably some super-science way to give you all your powers."

"You think so?" Superboy asked, sounding interested.

"Oh yeah. Definitely," Pyro nodded. "My expertise is computers so I couldn't really tell you right away, but Doc should have a much better idea."

"Doc's an AI?" Superboy asked.

"Yup," Pyro nodded. "Hasn't let me down yet."

* * *

 _The mission is proceeding well,_ Aqualad was breathing heavily, his hazmat suit thankfully unscathed.

 _No kidding,_ Kid Flash said, pushing the corpse of a mutant-bat off of him and dusting himself off. _Was that most of them? It feels like it should've been most of them._

 _I feel like the cave goes a lot further down,_ Ms. Martian said. _So, it was most of them…in this part of the cave._

 _It is progress,_ Aqualad stated. _Kid Flash, what is the chamber ahead like?_

 _It's a small rock bridge going over loooong drop_ , Kid Flash reported. _On the other side there's a ramp going downwards. Beyond that, it gets dark so we'll need our lights._

 _I see,_ Aqualad said, peering beyond the shattered entryway. "Team 1 to Robin."

"Robin here," Robin replied, barely holding in a sigh of boredom. "What's up?"

"What's Team 2's status?" Aqualad asked.

"They just took out some big monster thing in the forest and are still burning it down," Robin reported. "Pyro wanted to stay and babysit the forest fire, so he'll be a few minutes."

"How large was it, exactly?" Aqualad asked.

"I'm up here sitting playing operator in the Bioship," Robin pointed out with snark. "So, I didn't get a good look."

"Well, we appreciate you keeping an eye on our two groups in the meantime," Aqualad replied. "Aqualad out."

 _So, are we heading inside?_ Kid Flash asked.

 _No, we're vacating the cave,_ Aqualad replied. _Given how large these caverns are, I don't want to chance coming across something suitably massive without everyone present._

 _I like that plan,_ Ms. Martian nodded, looking relieved.

Suddenly, the cave began to shake.

 _Move! Now!_ Aqualad barked.

The three of them ran for the exit as quickly as they could. Kid Flash reached the end point first and stayed behind, watching as Ms. Martian and Aqualad ran up the ramp. He followed after them like a blur.

 _The cave entrance is still standing,_ Kid Flash noted, peering back inside. _Those must've been explosive charges to take out the lab so we can't gather evidence._

 _It's probable_ , Aqualad replied. _But it could still be the movements of some massive creature._

 _Yeah, you're right,_ Kid Flash agreed with a nod. _Should stay on our toes._

 _Pyro's fire doesn't look like it's going to die down any time soon,_ Ms. Martian said, pointing at the large plume of smoke coming from the south. _I can feel the heat from here._

 _Well, apparently, it's magic fire,_ Kid Flash shrugged. _So, it doesn't go out or something. Whatever. It doesn't make any sense to me._

 _Just because it's magic doesn't mean it never goes out,_ Aqualad replied.

 _I guess, that's just what I came up on when I looked it up online,_ Kid Flash replied. _Isn't that where Pyroclasm here got his magical know-how?_

 _He also said that most of it was garbage,_ Ms. Martian pointed out helpfully. _That's probably one of those things._

 _Yeah, I see that,_ Kid Flash agreed with a sigh. _I wonder how much testing he and his AI had to do before they actually started seeing things that worked?_

 _We'll have to ask him after the mission,_ Aqualad replied. _Now, if you could illuminate something for me?_

 _Shoot_ , Kid Flash replied.

 _What does an Operator have to do with Robin being on console duty?_

* * *

 _Author's Note: Originally, this chapter was going to end with Aqualad, Ms. Martian and Kid Flash swallowed up by a giant worm-thing. But I felt it more important to preserve Aqualad's agency in being the team leader and decided to have him pull out instead._

 _Now, onto the business at hand. Pyroclasm is going on Hiatus. March is almost upon us, and I promised the followers of another fic that it's second act will be starting in March. I also am hoping that it will be finished before the end of the year. While I'm working on that, Pyro, sadly, has to be put on hold. I'll be honest, that's for the best. I think it's best to take a long break before the quality on the fic starts to drop and I can feel it coming._

 _When the second act of SHINOBI: The RPG is concluded, I will return to Pyroclasm and continue to work on it until it's time for Act 3. Thank you all for your incredible support, Pyroclasm has been an incredible ride and I think I've learned quite a bit from it._

 _Shout out goes out to Micheal N. Welcome to the circle of patrons._

 _Shout out also goes out too_ Melden V, Anders Kronquist, Ray Tony Song, makopaulo, Volkogluk, Aaron Bjornson, iolande, Martin Auguado, Julio, Jiopaba, Hackerham, Tim Collins-Squire, Maben00, Sultan Saltlick, PostLifeSyndrome, Ventari _and_ PbookR. _Thank you all for your continued support._

 _Until the next time!_

 _~Fulcon_


End file.
